Little Rebel
by cheeses
Summary: TRILOGY! follow on from Here Us Out and Surprise Surprise- Jane and Maura struggle to cope as Kristen and Emma are in the midst of their Junior year and are playing with fire, not just metaphoricly. R&R?
1. Chapter 1

**The first chapter of the 3****rd **** story in this universe... I now christen it a trilogy and the longest fic I've ever worked on.**

Pinholes of light caught the up torn dust as it swirled in the afternoon spot light.

"Come on, fucking move it" a hiss broke through the smoky air and echoed through the walls of the warehouse. The crunch of hurried foot steps broke the hum of distant Boston traffic.

"Calm your tits Roston I'm coming"

"That's not what I heard"

"Shut the fuck up and concentrate on fucking moving your ass" the sound of clattering insured the pair that they were being followed.

"Move it, move it" the first voice ushered and the pair dashed through the warehouse, kicking up the dust and dirt the old cement floor had gained.

The shattered industrial windows shone light that the fleeting forms caught as they ran.

"I can't fucking carry it by myself Roston"

"Man up"

"Why don't you grow some balls first then we'll talk"

The sound of clattering still perused the pair.

"Just hurry, we have gym next"

"So you talked me into this only to get your knickers in a twist over gym?" the voice rose an octave.

"You get all wet when you walk into History so I don't see how you can call me"

Another clank and curse made the pair run under metal piping and out the rusted metal door to bask under the afternoon heat.

"Let's just go"

The hooded pair stalked from the warehouse, their forms melting into the scrap yard towers as they abandoned the scene.

* * *

><p>Sounds of irritated mumbling could be heard from the kitchen, the sound travelled across the cold tile to the wood flooring of the sitting room and melted into the furniture.<p>

"Ah" Kristen hissed and squirmed as Emma tried to pull the shard of glass from Kristen's foot.

"Stop moving" Emma hissed, pinching the glass with the tweezers, but paused to give Kristen a unimpressed glare.

"Em, it kills, just yank it out!" Kristen had her teeth gritted and Emma sighed.

"I can't, some skin is trapping it, I have to tear that away to get at it"

"Oh, _come on_!" Kristen lolled her head back and winced as she felt Emma rip the flesh slowly, tugging at it with the tweezers.

"Fine" Emma stopped and set the tweezers down with a sharp clink.

"What are you doing?" Kristen's brow furrowed and Emma turned her back for a brief moment. Kristen made a irritated huff and soon enough a quick pain invaded her foot once more.

"Em, what?... Oh ow, ow, ow SHIT"

Emma pulled the glass out in a swift tug, sending a few small blotches of blood over the counter top.

"Did it" Emma spoke smugly, planting the now bloody tweezers on a tissue.

"Thanks" Kristen dead panted and looked down at the damage. The flesh hung open, crying small grazes of blood.

"How did you do it?" Emma dabbed the wound with a cotton pad and drowned the cut in disinfectant, before tightly wrapping a bandage around it. Kristen looked around guiltily then from the back of her mind plucked the most obvious lie.

"I just... stepped on a shard of glass" Kristen swung her legs over the edge of the table and Emma perched on the stool looking at her sibling expectantly.

"Jane will want to know"

"She used to me covered in blood" Kristen sighed.

"Family trait" a voice called from the doorway, Maura stood with a broad grin on her lips, holding a black folder contently.

"Hey Mom" Emma and Kristen chimed, Kristen's voice dull under Emma's peppy tone. Maura's heels made a heavy clicking sound as she walked in to peruse the conversation she'd walked in on.

"What did you do?" Maura's voice became worried as her eyes fell on the now bloody bandage on Kristen's foot.

"Stepped on some glass" Kristen shrugged and Emma nodded, still not entirely convinced of Kristen's excuse.

"I'll go and wash my hands, you got some blood on me" Emma spoke flatly.

"It's your fault for ripping half my foot off" Kristen smirked and Emma stuck her tongue out at her.

Maura smiled softly at the interaction of the two teenagers.

"So, why are you home early?" Emma rose her voice over the sound of the running tap.

"I was going to ask you the same question" Jane entered the house and looked at Kristen, who had a lopsided grin playing on her lips. It scared her how much the girl had grown to be like her, she was the same height as Jane, they fathomed that was from Robert's genetics.

"What did you do?" Jane frowned at Kristen. Kristen rolled her jaw, irritated by the frequent question that played on her families lips.

"A shard of glass looked lonely on the floor so my foot decided to give it a hug"

"What did you smash?" Jane gave her a flat look.

"I didn't, it was just on the floor and I went to get a cola and well, ouchie" Kristen's voice became softer on the last word, Jane felt a fuzz of warmth, Kristen had always said that if she hurt herself.

Emma returned with a glass of water and double took her glance as Jo who was sat on Bass's shell, looking smug with her new mode of transport.

"Mom she's doing it again" Emma groaned and Jane glared at the terrier.

"No, Jo get off" she hissed and pointed at the floor sternly. Jo hopped of the disgruntled tortoise and padded over to Jane's side.

Kristen slyly drank the water Emma had required smirking as the action went unnoticed.

Jane rose her eyebrows at the terriers smug stare and rolled her eyes.

"My dog has a thing for your turtle" Jane droned, running a hand through her hair. Maura puzzled at Jane's assumption.

"I'm sure it's just their way of saying hello"

"Oh _sure_ M, like I just jump on your back to say hi"

Kristen nearly spat out the water in attempt not to laugh or consider pursuing the twisted thought that ran a muck in her mind.

Maura blushed and Jane felt the urge to physically face palm herself.

Emma chuckled and turned to see Kristen as she dribbled water down her front due to her restraint on laughing.

"You're vile" Emma snapped and shoved her twin backwards.

"_You're vile_" Kristen mocked in a sing song tone and walked from the kitchen.

"Come on Jo" Kristen patted her side and the terrier happily trotted to her side and followed her to her room.

"Don't let her on the bed, she's just been..." Maura began but the slam of the door insured her that Kris had let Jo on the bed anyway.

"Too late" Jane chuckled huskily and frowned upon seeing Kristen's shoes layered in mud.

"You let her walk in the house with those things on?" Jane picked them up at arms length and Maura stared in horror.

"Nah, she had already taken them off on the porch" Emma held her hands up in defence.

"Those cost..." Maura frowned.

"A lot, we know Maur" Jane lay out a newspaper to let them sit on something that wasn't going to affect Maura's OCD cleaning.

"They are Macbeth Eliot's" Maura groaned at the now slightly battered black sneekers.

"It's Kris... what do you expect?" Jane shrugged and slid her hand around Maura's waist, pulling her close.


	2. Chapter 2

**Is this okay? Hmm I'm trying to pace it, but intrigue you all at the same time.**

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><p>Behind the bubbling of pasta and fresh tomato sauce Maura watched Jane reappear from their room clad in a grey t-shirt and jeans, looking contented with her evening attire.<p>

"Kris hasn't come out of her room" Maura frowned while she noted, pointing the wooden spoon she was using in the general direction of the teens door. As her matter of fact statement reached Jane so did the evening meal, pasta source was blotched on to Jane's freshly dawned shirt with Maura's welding of the spoon. Jane rose her arms in defeat as the source trailed from her abdomen and flicked onto her face.

"_Really_?" Jane grumbled but then the hollow sound broke into a husky chuckle. Maura clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Oh" Maura giggled and dropped the offending cutlery to the counter. Jane dabbed the sauce from her shirt, but in attempt smudged it more.

Maura walked over with a cheshire grin at her own clumsiness. Jane went to dab the blotch of source from her chin and right jaw, Maura caught her hand mind air and kissed the sauce away, the stroke of her tongue beneath the cushions of her lips made Jane's eyes wide. The tingle of the connection and the flush that ran down in her heart made the Detective struggle to come up with a reaction other than to become ridged.

"What's wrong?" Maura whispered, holding Jane's hips as she felt the sauce wash away to Jane's heated skin.

"Nothing" Jane battled over the beat of her heart and gulped as Maura got rid of the remaining sauce.  
>"Tasty" Maura winked and slunk away from Jane, returning to preparing the meal. Jane stood blinking for a second, Maura had taken her completely off guard. Her skin was flushed and her hands twitched.<p>

Jane slid beside Maura and helped her chop some onions, Maura grinned smugly to herself while stirring the sauce.

"What were you saying about Kristen?" Jane mumbled, watching as the blade made the onion split with a small crunch.

"The fact she hasn't come out of her room is all" Maura hummed, feeling the heat of the steam rise on her palm.

"Why? She never comes out of there unless she's hungry"

"Today she just seems... off"

"Off?" Jane turned, neglecting her role in the processes of making dinner.

"Well Kris cut her foot" Maura started, pondering mid sentence. "She never usually bottles it up, she mopes around, complaining"

"Maybe she's just tired" Jane knew Maura had a point.

"When she's tired Kris complains" Maura huffed turning her back on her cooking.

"_Maybe _it's one of those _famous_ hormone imbalances"

Maura sucked in her cheeks and narrowed her eyes at Jane. The raven haired woman grinned and walked her fingers upon Maura's left shoulder.

"I think you're over thinking it, that big brain of yours tends to work over time"

"But Janey it doesn't seem right" Maura turned to the now bubbling pan of pasta and turned down the heat until the flame clicked off. "Drain this?" Maura handed her the pan carefully and Jane scooped up the colander to carry out the given task.

"She's probably just got exams to prep for" Jane winced at her own solution, but it was a feasible point.

"Exams" Maura nodded to herself and Emma breezed in past them to retrieve a carrot baton.

"Your dinner is nearly ready" Maura scolded but Emma shrugged with a sorry smile and bit on it with a soft crunch.

"Speaking about exams, I got an A on my AP biology mock exam" Emma tapped the counter with her fingers happily if playing the piano and skipped off.

"Wha... Emy, hey that's great" Jane congratulated the girl and jogged after her. Maura was torn between pursuing her daughter about it or leaving the sauce to ruin.

Over dinner, Emma was forced to share more information on the matter. Jane sat across from Maura and Emma sat at the end of the table.

Emma nibbled at her pasta while talking to them.

"I think the Origin of life section really interesting, but Botany is probably my favourite" Emma noted popping a twirl of pasta into her mouth.

"Anatomy and Genetics were my favourite to comment on in exams, but I find Molecular Genetic studies fun to go back to once and a while" Maura grinned at Emma. Jane knew around about know the pair of them would go google. Jane glanced over to Kristen's room and took the excuse of calling her to dinner to bail from the conversation before her brain leaked from her ear.

Jane knocked softly on the door and a small bark from Jo and a mumble granted her entrance to the Kris cave.

Jane stepped over the strewn sheets of paper and sat on Kristen's bed. Glancing over the teens shoulder.

"Your pasta is getting cold"

"I'll have it in a minuet"

"Good idea, Emy and your Mom are talking about..."

"Molecular Genetics yeah I know, I can hear" Kristen snapped and scratched her pencil across the paper violently.

"Kris" Jane spotted sight of the sketch and winced at it's gruesome features. The darkened corners of the page and the straight lines were a torture to the eye. Kristen had a talent when it came to drawings that messed with the mind optically and mentally. "It's great Kris, just a little graphic" Jane ran a hand through her hair.

"It's supposed to be" Kristen set the sketch pad aside and turned to Jane, her eyes dark. "it's a depiction of what would happen if a body blew up" Kristen smiled and slid from the bed. Jane shrugged.

"Each to their own"

Kristen hobbled from her room and Jane frowned.

"You know I wont bite" Jane remained seated. Kristen turned and stopped in the doorway, hanging from the door frame making the wood creak, the sound was fun in her ears.

"I know" Kristen shrugged off the comment and walked into the dinning area, where Jane could hear a sarcastic greeting from Emma. Jane sighed and ran a hand through her hair, fixing her eyes to the sketch, she grimaced.

* * *

><p>The heavy sound of a zipper and the soft thud of shoes rung in the darkness of Kristen's room. The red neon lights of her alarm clock flickered and she stretched, upon hearing a few joints click she knew she was ready.<p>

Kristen looked across to her window and picked up her rucksack before heading out.

The teen flexed her hands and walked to the window. The night sky was purple, flashing lights of planes and distant starts could barley be picked from the clouds.

Kristen slid her window open, the wood screeched but not loud enough to alert her sleeping sibling in the next room or parents.

At 1:00am exactly Kristen slunk out of her room, the soft thud of the window hitting the wooden chock she'd jarred in the corner to keep it open for her arrival was the last thing to make a sound.

Kristen's Macbeth hoodie defended her from prying highway headlights. Her shadow shimmered in the street lights as her scrap bike consisted of an old rusted bmx frame, two crimson colour wheels and a battered grey seat, the handle bars were made of black duct tape. The wheels clicked as she pushed on to her destination, her foot twinged but brushing aside the irritation she had better things to deal with. Feeling the cold Boston air on her face and collect in her hood made the teen smile, she always felt free while riding, it was one of her many safe places.

Arriving at the warehouse, Kristen dropped her bike to the floor sloppily, letting it rattle. The sound stabbed the night.

"Classy" a heavy voice made the girl jump, but it didn't faze her.

"Fuck off... you ready?" Kristen saw as her partner light the end of his cigarette with a orange glow and puffed out a whirl of smoke.

"As long as you are"

"Don't patronise me" Kristen flirted, looking through the dim light at his skeletal features. He spat out a wad of gunky mucus into the dust and led the teen through the wreckage.


	3. Chapter 3

**Tell me if anything is off or any tiny ideas in general, I love the interaction.**

* * *

><p>Through gasps and pants, Jane perked her head up from Maura's chest in the to dark of their room.<p>

"Did you hear that?" Jane tried to steady her breathing as she listened. The Detective's hair spilled over her face as she grumbled, her voice husky and racy.

"I think you're hearing things" Maura moaned, irritated with the sudden halt. Maura's hands wound around Jane's neck and pushed her back down to crash their lips into hurried contact.

Jane melted into Maura's naked form and ran her hands up and down her heaving ribs.

"I'm pretty sure..." Jane pulled away and Maura frowned.

"Janey" Maura cooed, leaning to press her swollen lips to Jane's ear. "Please"

Maura smiled wickedly into cheek planting a soft kiss and letting her hand roam down to a place where Jane would surrender.

"Damn!" Jane blurted gasping and letting her eyes flutter shut, pressing her forehead to the M.E's Jane whimpered.

"Come on baby" Maura licked her bottom lip and let Jane surrender to her in bliss.

* * *

><p>The crunch of feet upon glass and wood broke the allure of the damp dark to which Kristen had become accustomed.<p>

"I dunno why you'd wanna look here" Kristen's partner walked ahead, puffing out smoke in rings as he walked, his boots snapped the old wood like tooth picks. Kristen tried to dodge the mess, but failed kicking the debris across the dust with a echoing clatter.

"I just have some stuff to piece together"

"Look Krisy, there ain't anything here"

"Krisy?"

"You suit it"

"_Sure_ like a fat person fits a bikini. Don't call it me"

"No need to bring fat people into this"

Kristen rolled her eyes and stuffed her hands in her pockets.

"So, you sure this is the place?"

"My Mom's girlfriend is a cop, I know a few tricks yeah"

"Whoa, Mom's _girlfriend_, score"

"Don't" Kristen held up a hand and looked around, pulling out a zippo lighter to illuminate the dark.

The clink was followed by a orange glow lighting up Kristen's features.

"They must have left something..." Kristen wondered through the dark.

"If they were that good they wouldn't have" her partner spat another wad onto the floor and hung behind. Lent on an old pillar he watched Kristen walk.

"Maybe we got the wrong place" his voice rippled and Kristen turned.

"No, I'm sure this was the place, it's the only air field bunker around here"

"Well it looks pretty dead"

"There's an office" Kristen pointed over to the balcony, her heart fluttering trying to pace her finding.  
>"It's on your head" he mumbled and dropped his cigarette to the floor, snubbing it with his foot.<p>

Their clanking footsteps echoed, sending a chill through Kristen as she jogged to the mesh door.

"Great no key" her partner sneered and Kristen pushed him back.

"Just frikin' watch" Kristen grinned and kicked the mesh, the force made the door rattle and the violent shaking made the weak lock click open.

"Told you, I was raised by a cop" Kristen winked at him and slunk into the office first.

* * *

><p>Jane nuzzled the back of Maura's legs and kissed a trail around them until she reached the pink, raised scar upon her thigh.<p>

Jane kissed it and Maura looked down at her lover, scanning for her expression in the tangle of their bodies.

"Janey..." Maura asked, still hazy from the previous orgasm that had liquidized her limbs. Maura's rough voice made Jane's grimace pull into a small smile. Maura was still here, she was with Jane, Maura was safe.

"M" Jane started and pushed herself up Maura's body the ruffling of the quilt crisp in their ears. "Does it still hurt?"

"Jane it's been years, six years in fact"

"That's not what I asked"

"It doesn't hurt, it crawls some times, probably due to nerve damage and the emotional link"

"Does it do that when I'm around?" Jane's eyes were black, her voice looming close to Maura's ear.

"Why would you ask that?" Maura sat up and Jane rolled onto her back and sighed.

"I just still think..."

"I'm bound to get scars along the way, I'm a Mother Jane, on scar is just a tally"

"A tally for what?"

"Being a bad ass Mom" Maura chuckled and Jane laughed resting her head into Maura's shoulder, kissing the milky skin.

"Never say that again"

"Don't worry, I won't" Maura pulled the quilt over the body to gather warmth against the creeping cold of the room. Jane closed her eyes and Maura lay at her lovers level and wrapped her body around Jane's.

Maura's soft breathing mingled with Jane's as they fell into a drowsy slumber.

* * *

><p>Kristen rummaged through the old records, tossing them across the floor, most of the files landed with a thump on the the wooden floor.<p>

Twirling around on a chair, Kristen's partner light another cigarette, the strike of the match shocking her.

"Another one?" Kristen turned, clutching a file to her chest.

"I'm relaxing" he winked and Kristen studied the roll of white paper in pinched between his thumb and index finger.

"Really? Now?"

"Yeah, this is boring as fuck"

"Why did you agree to this then?"

"Cos it's something to do and you're pretty decent company"

"I'm flattered" Kristen dead panned and threw another few files on the floor.

Kristen and Emma had gone trough the proses of having their last names changed after the 'accident' at the house. Now Kristen Isles was looking for a folder with Bridge on it.

"You'd think they'd have them in order"

"Maybe they got here before you" coughing slightly her partner twirled on the chair again, the wheels groaning under the pressure.

Kristen stopped and dropped the file, maybe he was right.

"Why would _they_ want the air file?"  
>"Maybe becouse of the investigation"<p>

Kristen kicked the metal cabinet.

"So much for being raised by a cop" he licked his lip after a long drag and pointed it at Kristen.

"Help you take your mind off it"

Kristen winced and plucked it from his spindly fingers.

"You're a bad influence" Kristen spoke before taking a drag.

"You're too easy" he chuckled, the smoke still raw in his throat.

"Let's just bail" Kristen handed it him back and stretched, feeling her head spin a little she paced from the office, her foot crunching down on a frame. Looking down at it too fast the teen saw double but remained steady.

"I'll try and find it somewhere else"

"Wait" her partner plucked a sheet from under the old computer monitor and handed it to Kristen. "was his last name..."

"Bridge, we got him" Kristen grinned and looked down at the coffee stained record of flights. "I dunno how they missed this, but I'm damn lucky they did" Kristen folded it into her pocket and was about to step back out when her nose picked up a musky smell from under the dampness and smog of the drugs her partner was happily indulging in.

"Smoke?" Kristen sniffed the air and peered down from the banister, a small blaze had caught. "Oh shit"

Kristen jumped every two steps to get away, her partner following in long strides.

The clanking of their foot steps and the white glow of a flash light illuminated their forms.

"Hey you kids ain't supposed to be in here" a rusty voice barked from the far corner. Kristen grabbed her partners arm and tugged him along in a panicked sprint.

"Fucking come on" they both exited the building with a crash of metal and limbs.

Mounting her bike, Kristen peddled off, her heart beating in her skull and sweat making her forehead clammy.

"Krisy" her partner barked riding along side the dazed teen.

"We'll go to the loft" his voice was scratchy, but reassured Kristen that she was with someone who she actually trusted.

The wind washed away the tendrils of smoke that had clung to their clothes as they biked through the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for reading... any comments are welcome

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><p>Blades of light shone in through the wooden blinds, lighting the dusty loft slat floor. Kristen rolled over, her body cosy under the thick duvet. The teen awoke in shock when her body hit another, a sleepy grunt sounded as her arm hit the back of her partner. The bed frame creaked and she winced.<p>

_I've not. _

Kristen glanced down at herself and sighed, she was still clothed, but smelt faintly of ale and smoke.

Kristen held her aching head as her sight came into focus and she inhaled the scent of last night's pizza.

"Danny" Kristen hissed, her throat burned as the words grated the dry walls of her trachea.

"Hmm" he rolled over and smiled. "I could get used to this"

"It's too early and don't push it" Kristen frowned at the thin faced teen.

"What are you waking me up for?"

"To let me out, I need to get back" Kristen rose from the bed, the frame made a unsteady jut and groaned.

"Okay" he rubbed his eyes and got up, clad in a pair of jeans.

"Did we..." Kristen motioned between the pair of them, making sure her voice didn't reach the volume of aggravating her already pounding skull. Her cheeks flushed at the question and Danny looked down at himself also. No shirt, just unbuttoned jeans.

"I don't think so" he rubbed his temple in thought. "Nah, you said something about Miss Sciuto"

Kristen let a brighter blush raid her tinged flesh. She was her Modern Warfare tutor. The woman was just out of college.

"Oh God really?" Kristen ran a hand through her hair and Danny laughed, his chuckle raspy.

"Yeah, I mean you just kept talking about her, I think I tried to kiss you" he scratched his shoulder and grinned, he felt the ache in his right eye, she'd punched him, hard.

"We laughed it off, that's about as much as I can remember" Kristen added looking at the purple crescent under the teens eye.

"I wont tell anyone about the Miss Sciuto thing" Danny assured and smiled weakly.

"I don't even think I'm... _that _way" Kristen admitted, while pulling on her shoes.

"It could just be her?"

"Like she'd be interested in a creepy 11th grader"

"I'm interested"

Kristen rose an eyebrow at him and he shrugged.

"Hey, I'm a guy"

"Yeah, I gathered that" Kristen smirked and Danny lead her from the loft, their feet making the wooden slat floor creak. The sound pierced Kristen's ears and she winced.

"See you in school then" Danny leant on the door frame as Kristen left, with her backpack dragging on the floor in her loose grip, she couldn't be bothered with swinging it over her shoulder.

"Yeah sure" Kristen wafted her hand in dismissal and walked to her bike in the early morning sun.

Kristen estimated it was around five in the morning, the sun was still fresh and the air was sharp. The Boston sky line made the sun's rays glint from it's high glass skyscrapers, like a magnify glass, Kristen knew something was watching her every move whether that be her own conscience or God, if his eyes really did exist.

The sound of her bike wheels clicking and the whirr of the wheels on the tarmac, Kristen made her way home. Watching a few cars pass and the sun glint from their dusty windscreens, Kristen felt a sudden wave of her urban surroundings. The land around her never slept, somewhere there was always a few people awake, whatever hour, people would be awake, would bare witness to the sins of the night and the crimes of the day. The teen neared her neighbourhood and decided to walk the rest of the way, she wanted to make it look as casual as she could at this hour if any of her neighbours where watching. She simply had a delivery job or was training for a bike ride, something obscure but plausible.

Tucking her bike away in the shrubs near the porch, Kristen dusted herself of the smog her hoodie had acquired at the air field. She needed a shower, a little nap then had to face the day with a fat ass lie.

* * *

><p>The angry buzzing and clattering of Jane's phone on the side table wrenched her from her contented slumber. Her hand out stretched blindly and assaulted the air around the table before slamming her hand down on the device and clutching it.<p>

Blurry eyed she clicked the green button that signalled even at this ungodly hour she was supposed to be awake.

The ungodly hour being seven in the morning.

Maura grumbled and rolled over from the noise, until from a bark from Jo outside the door indicated Maura's phone was also ringing. The M.E slid out of bed and pulled on an old sweatshirt to proceeded to answer the call.

Jane watched Maura leave and the same, tinny voice at the other end of the receiver bled into her ear.

"_We gotta crispy down here_"

"What?" Jane sat bolt up from the rude interruption.

"_That came out wrong, we gotta fire, dead guy, you're on Rizzoli, it's the old air field_"

"I'll be there in twenty" Jane ended the call and threw her phone on to the bed, irritated by the nasty wake up.

Maura came back in practically beaming.

"We have a burns victim" Maura sat on the bed slightly and smiled warmly at Jane, who's tussled hair and sleepy eyes made grumpy look like a disgruntled toddler.

"I thought you didn't like them?"

"I said, dependent on the degree of burns the victim, it's a challenge"

"So why are you grinning?" Jane rubbed her eyes and yawned through her words.

"Because I like a challenge"

"Apparently" Jane lay back down and hugged the pillow.

"You have to get up"  
>"I don't wanna, it's to early"<p>

"You are up at six near enough every morning, how can you say this" Maura motioned around her "is early?"

Jane glared at the honey blond.

"Easy, it's early"

"Jane, get out of bed" Maura stood up and crossed her arms.

"_Jane_ is sleepy" the Detective hugged the pillow tighter to her poorly clad form.

"Well _Jane_ had better get out of bed or I'm going to tell them why we we're late" Maura grinned wickedly.

"Nuh, huh, no way, Maura" Jane span around as Maura waved her phone and grinned.

"How we spent the night... you know, _everything_"

Jane sat bolt up, knowing full well that the M.E would do everything she was saying, she'd done it to Emma the other month when she wouldn't get up.

"Then Detective, I think you'd better get ready" Maura was already plucking some lace underwear from the chest of draws and holding them up against her.

Jane made a sound along the lines of umph and crawled from the tangle of pillows and a quilt she'd been content in.

Maura was changed into a grey day dress and black heels when she finally surfaced from the comfort of her room and more so, Jane.

Emma was stood around the sitting room, drinking a cup of tea, happily clad in a pair of black skinny jeans and a white jumper, her bare feet soaking in the cold of the wood.

"Good Morning" Maura walked over and hugged Emma.

"Morning Mom" Emma smiled, the simple sign of affection moulded into a sly smirk. "Did you have a nice sleep?" Emma sipped at her tea to avoid grinning further. She was well aware of her and Jane's athletic antics, she had tried to block it out with the simple application of an ipod but to no avail their 'happiness' had still sounded through the walls.

"Yes" Maura shrugged, thinking the duologue was a simple enquiry into her sleeping pattern.

Emma gave an over exaggerated nod in Maura's direction and shuffled over to sit down to avoid spitting her tea everywhere with the overwhelming urge to laugh.

Jane came out of the room a few minuets later and leant down over the back of the sofa to plant a soft kiss on Emma's head.

"Morning"  
>"Oh, <em>good<em> morning" Emma sniggered and Jane pulled an expression that could only be portrayed as 'really'.

"Janey, are you ready?" Maura walked over to the raven haired woman and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Yeah" Jane grinned at her and Maura twirled the keys to the Lexus on her index finger.

"Come on" Maura hummed her words and strode ahead.  
>"Have a good day" Emma wished the pair, she'd heard their phones buzzing and knew all to well they had a fresh case.<p>

"Tell Kristen I've packed her lunch, it has a celery stick, some grap..."

"Come on Maura"

"An apple"

Maura added briefly then Jane shut the front door abruptly.

Emma leant back and sighed at Maura's rambling.

* * *

><p>The Lexus rode over the dusty gravel, the wheels making a dumbed out crunching noise as they pulled up.<p>

Jane took in the building and winced, the fire department was still finishing up. Maura shifted uncomfortably but left the car to pursue the scene.

"What've we got?" Jane yawned and Korsak turned.

"One hell of a headache, this place was like an oven" the greying man leant back to scan the still smoking roof.

"Oh Doc the body is over..." Frost turned to inform her but she was already huddled over it with fascination. The M.E pulled out a pre-packed scalpel and chipped away a section of his now black and crispy skin.

"And there goes lunch" Frost cringed and span around in the other direction.

Jane gave a crooked smile in her partners direction and ran a hand through her hair.

"When the fire dept is done, we'll search the place" Jane rested her hands on her hips and glanced around. This was the place that Richard used to fly from, a sickening feeling prodded at her gut.

"What's up with you?" Korsak saw the expression on her face change.

"I have a hunch" Jane glanced over to Maura and sighed her words. "But I hope to God I'm wrong"

* * *

><p>Emma walked into Kristen's room, the fresh light from the hallway flooding into the Kris cave.<p>

"Close the frikin' door and leave" Kristen mumbled her head sandwiched between her pillows. Emma scrunched her nose as the faint aroma of beer emanated from her sibling.

"Did you sneak out again?" Emma leant on the door frame with her arms crossed tightly.

"Why do _you _care?"

"Because you smell like a dead goat"

"_Great_, really motivational" Kristen sat up, simply clad in a vest top and bed shorts.

"Get dressed we're going to be late" Emma turned sharply to head out when from the corner of her eye she saw Kristen's backpack, unzipped and spewing it's content. "What's that?"

Emma turned back around, a spike of fear infested Kristen's groggy system and she lunged for the bag. Her duvet spilt onto the floor and in a flail of limbs her body crunched down on the singed backpack.

"Work" Kristen's voice was heavy.

"Really?" Emma twitched a perfectly arched eyebrow in her direction. "So if I were to asses this 'work' you'd be telling the truth"

"Just leave" Kristen stood back up in a woozy recovery and shoved the shorter teen from the husk of her room.

* * *

><p>Rummaging through the burnt wreckage, Jane let her her flash light roam.<p>

"Maura's taking care of the vic" Frost jogged in, his voice echoing.

Jane narrowed her eyes, lighting up the stairs that had grazed her line of sight.

"What's up there?" Jane looked upwards and saw the office. "What do you bet, whoever was in here was lookin' up there"

"Let's do it" Frost followed Jane's steady pace.

The balcony had only been licked by the tendrils that had formerly engulfed the place. The metal gave off a rusty, coppery stench. Jane watched her footing and shone her light over the damaged mesh door.

"Get the techs" Jane glanced over her shoulder, her voice distant from her comment, her attention was focused on the scar of impact on the door.

"Looks like a solid kick" Frost clipped his phone back in his belt after sending the message.

"They knew how to do this" Jane knelt to get a better view of the impact.

"If it was a gang... they would have thought to get the keys right?" Frost looked around, the creaking of the charred beams setting him on edge.

Water dripped from the ghastly features of the building, heat still rose around them.

"Not unless the vic had them, coulda smashed into here, after he refused" Jane pondered and with her gloved hands opened the mesh door and second door to walk into the bowels of the office.

"We have a trashed cabinet in here" Jane shouted out to Frost and shone her light upon the features.

"The techs are on their way" Frost pocked his head through the door and sniffed the air. "Do you smell that?"

"What? Smoke?" Jane frowned at him and inhaled, raising an eyebrow she gave a knowing look to Frost.

"Weed" Jane scanned the floor for the possible remaining butt.

"What gang do you know that smoke pot on the job?"

"Not a smart one, you'd think they'd be into heavier stuff"

"Yeah" Frost riffled through a few files.

"Get all the files back to the station, check on the database on this thing if there are any missing" Jane jerked her thumb to the battered computer sat in the corner.

"Will do"

"Look for Richard Bridges file" Jane noted and began to root through the filing cabinets.

"You gotta hunch?"

"A nasty one" Jane groaned and slammed the metal draws once she'd flicked through the names.

* * *

><p>Kristen sat on her bed, cross legged and now clad in a pair of fresh black jeans with a black and white stripped t-shirt to accompany them kindly.<p>

Flicking through the flight records, Kristen scanned over the data.

"This guy was busy" Kristen only knew his name from a distant conversation that she'd overheard between Jane and Maura a few years ago, she knew he had something to do with the accident that night.

Kristen ruffled her hair and yawned, scanning the text like it was easy reading.

Glancing over to the clock, she decided to cut her research short and stash it under her bed.

She'd use the school's library to get this guy.

"Kris, we're going to be late" Emma shouted and busied herself texting.

"Yeah, I'm coming"

Snatching her phone from the beside table, she headed out, with her backpack slung over her shoulder.


	5. Chapter 5

Maura blinked, probably for the eighteenth time in the past five minuets, the labs light was unusually bright as she worked on the body.

The victims body was shrivelled, the clothes that he'd been wearing were glued into his crispy skin. Lay on the metal gurney like a slab of meat, Maura listened to his skin crunch as her right hand flaked some more samples from the exposed, softer flesh around his chest. Picking the samples with tweezers, Maura set the flakes into a small glass tray in the intention that they would be sent to the forensics lab for testing.

This man's premature cremation assured the M.E that he'd not intended to die, nobody ever intended to die, it just happened, much like a slap in the face, abrupt and sudden.

Maura rolled her shoulders and sighed, the stench of smoke was still emanating from his body.

Glancing down at the glass tray that held the flakes, Maura took it as a chance to leave the stench for a few brief minuets, even she was deterred by the smell of death at one time or another.

Maura's heels clicked as she made her way over to the lab.

Holding the tray contently in her gloved hands, she greeted one of the techs with a small smile.  
>"I need you to proses this, for any substances on the skin"<p>

"Sure thing Doctor Isles" the curly haired tech responded plucking the tray from her grasp. He turned away and got to work, Maura lingered for a while, watching him work happily.

Maura thought back to Emma, how she could soon be in her position in a few years. Not that she'd ever force the girl into her beloved profession, but it would be enjoyable to talk about cases at the dinner table with someone that knew exactly what she was talking about.

Emma usually understood and would participate but never got the context in which Maura was commenting from.

Maura looked down at her feet and turned to leave, she had an autopsy to finish.

* * *

><p>Jane paced in front of the pin board she, Frost and Korsak were using as a pinnacle for the case.<p>

"So we have a burnt air field bunker, a dead guy and a fire" Frost paced his words and Jane nodded along with him.

"Any ideas"

"Not until we get the identification of the vic and the identification of the prints found and the..." Korsak pipped up, looking around his monitor.

"No shit Sherlock" Frost snapped grumpily.

"You're the one who just pointed out the..."

"Okay, shut it" Jane held her hands up to pause the two men."I don't think we need the vic or the prints" Jane crossed her arms and bit on her bottom lip, pinching loose skin between her teeth and tugging.

"You're still hung up on the idea of it being the gang?" Korsak knew that look upon the Detective's features.

"It's the air field that Richard and Claire Bridge flew from" Jane started, the links ghosting her mind the a cruel spectre. "Richard Bridge's file is missing and I'm damn sure we never collected it"

"So in other words, yeah you think it's the same gang" Frost finished for her.

"I mean what gang set's half of their members on two kids then stops straight after?" Jane spoke irritated.

"And they haven't shown up for years" Frost added and stood up, his chair rolling back with the movement.

"I mean, the girls are older, they are harder to get to" Jane huffed, all the ideas springing to her mind to make a web of theories made her focus blur.

"So you're thinkin' they randomly set fire to the air field, to draw our attention to it, got hold of Richard Bridge's flight file and then... I dunno" Korsak noted.

"What would they want with a flight file?" Frost puzzled and turned to Jane.

"I dunno" Jane's shoulder's slumped. "It just seems... to late, you know, why come after them now?"

"We don't even _really _know if it was the gang, it coulda just been an accident" Frost crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah" Jane pointed to him, she was thinking into too much detail this early on. "Yeah, let's just get evidence then start digging" Jane wafted her hands as if to shoo the theory.

Maura had finished the autopsy by the time the techs called her into the lab. Upon noting this man had died of smoke inhalation not the fire it's self put the M.E's mind at ease. At least he didn't burn while conscious. But yet again, the man did suffocate, either way his death was slow way to go.

Maura's white lab coat breezed around her calves like a dysfunctional cape as she walked to share information with the techs.

"Luckily he wasn't drowned in gasoline"

"Yes, he suffocated" Maura shrugged.

"But" the curly haired tech held up his gloved finger. "I can confirm some other things for the scene, you know the last people to be in there, that sorta thing... I just need Detective Rizzoli to be in when I explain this one" he noted and Maura nodded, feeling the weight of her mobile suddenly present in her pocket.

"I'll call her" Maura smiled at him and exited to make the call.

It was a short walk down to the labs.

The elevator was always the favoured option to be sent down into the colder, quieter part of the P.D, but with cases like today's Jane Rizzoli preferred to use her legs to carry her to the land of the dead.

Opening the fire door with a clank, Jane strode into the labs her foot steps echoed on the floor. The garish grey never made this place look appealing, even with the dash of yellow on the door and window frames.

Jane walked into the lab and saw Maura leant back on one of the desks chatting with Toby, this tech was probably the only one who didn't use the bull shit terms that most of the others used when explaining the assessment of evidence.

"What've you got?" Jane spoke up, breaking their conversation.

"Well" Toby soon looked anxious. Maura shot Jane a tiny smile and Jane returned it. "The footprint is a size 6, thin, from the tread I say it belongs to a pair of Converse" Toby pressed his mouth into a thin line upon receiving a look of impatience from Jane. "But you two probably aren't bothered by that..."

Maura gave him a sympathetic look and urged him to continue with a smile.

"It's the fingerprints that will probably been of more use and... interest" Toby winced and handed Jane the file containing the results.

"Take a look" Toby stepped back and the two women read through the results, Maura only had to glance at the sheet to feel a chill run up her spine.

"This is..." Maura frowned, her forehead creasing as she gave a hardened look to Toby.

"Oh fuck no" Jane waved the file to his face and slammed it on to the desk.

"Detective, it doesn't lie"

"I fucking gathered, but it looks like Kristen does" Jane rolled her jaw and looked at the other results.

"Who's the other kid?"

"Dan Volchko" Maura stated and hugged herself. "This means you have to bring them in for questioning" Maura's voice was tiny. Kristen couldn't have killed a man? She couldn't even kill a fly. Her baby was involved with a murder, intentional or not, a man had been killed and her finger prints where there, that wouldn't prove good in front of a jury.

"Oh don't worry about that" Jane gritted her teeth and marched from the lab, her stomach churned with disbelief, but anger overrode the urge to vomit. Besides vomiting never amounted to anything good.

* * *

><p>Kristen walked into Sara Sciuto's office. Being the head of the History department had it's perks, for her and for Kristen. Shifting and itching with nerves, Kristen knocked on the door then pushed the handle down to let herself in.<p>

"Miss" Kristen started and felt her mouth run dry, all saliva had evaporated. The door clicked shut behind her and Sara looked up from marking papers to smile at her student.

"Hi" the red head greeted, the dusting of freckles across her nose seemed more prominent today. Her dark orange locks fell down past her shoulders in limp curls.

Kristen gave a small smile in greeting and edged forward.

"I just wanted to take you up on that offer of after hours catch up sessions"

"Oh really, that's great" Sara set her pen down with a broad grin. Her green eyes ran over Kristen's twitching posture. "I was going to persist you come to them, I mean you are ahead of everyone, but I just wanted to make sure you were getting everything you needed"

Kristen let a giggle fall from her lips, it merely sounded like a sound of agreement.

_Don't take it as an innuendo or as a pick up line or as anything for that fact._

The teacher was clad in a white blouse, the rest of the desk obstructed Kristen's view of her other clothing.

"I just don't get... some stuff to do with the Cold War, you know the..." Kristen played with the hem of her jacket. "Tension between Russia and USA, you know... stuff like that"

"What do you have first period?" Sara rested her head in her hands.

"English Lit" Kristen looked back at the door and Sara nodded.

"I have a free lesson, if you get a note, I could talk you through it"

"That'd be... great actually" Kristen beamed and ran a hand through her hair. Sara smiled at the teen and jotted down a small note.

"Take this with you, it's just a small prompt to get you out" Sara out stretched her hand and Kristen took the note, taking in the delicate skin of her hands and smooth curves of her nails.

"It won't take long" Kristen tried not to trip up or do anything stupid on her way out. She knew that woman made her nervous, but in a good way.

* * *

><p>Jane sat at her desk and tried to calm herself down.<p>

Take direct action and pull Kristen out of school, consequently making a scene. Jane didn't want that, she wanted it all just to blow away, cause no trouble in a tumble weed.

She could pull that other kid in though. Jane turned to Frost who was busy on the phone.

His voice always hushed when he spoke at his desk.

Jane was about to pull up Volchko when her phone buzzed.

_Got information on the vic, urgent. M. x_

Jane rolled her eyes at herself. Even if the x was just some form of sending a digital kiss, it meant way more to Jane than just affection. It reminded her that Maura was in this with her in this.

Getting up and almost jogging from bull pen she decided to run the stairs, the elevator seemed to much like a cage to Jane today.

Running down the grey stairwell, her footsteps echoed loudly. Her left hand grazed the hand rail as she bounded.

Reaching in door, she clicked it open and slid through to continue her journey.

Maura had tied her hair back loosely, a few stray strands grazed her face with charm. Jane smiled to her and Maura rolled her neck from the new born tension that lay there.

"I got the ID of the vic" Maura said bluntly and reached for a dirt brown file from her side desk.

Jane crossed her arms and watched her work, willing to listen.

"Laurence Jarvis, 45" Maura started and handed Jane the file. "He has a record" she assured.

Jane nodded glancing over the countless listing of burglary and one shooting.

"So he wasn't so innocent" Jane sighed and tapped the file on her palm right palm while clutching with her left hand. Maura tilted her head in a look that spoke '_agreed_'.

Jane acted on impulse and closed the gap between them. She wrapped Maura in a urgent hug and let the M.E relax in her arms.

"I don't know what to do Janie" Maura whispered into the Detective's neck, while wrapping her hands around the small of her back. Jane kissed the top of Maura's head and cradled her softly.

"I know, but we're gonna get this case closed" Jane inhaled the scent of Maura's floral shampoo, with slight undertones of smoke, it lay husky and dark to her honey blond waves. "And it won't involve Kristen"

"She..." Maura whimpered and hugged Jane higher, the M.E's body soon shook with broken sobs.

Jane winced, she hated it when Maura cried, it hurt to see her look so defenceless.

"No, M, we're gonna sort it out, I'm going to sort it out"

"I just feel so" Maura pulled away and began to pace with aggravation caressing her veins. "Bad" the word was born strangled.

"Bad?" Jane spoke quizzically.

"Like I've not been a good Mother" Maura looked at Jane with moist hazel eyes, the innocence bleeding through the gaze made Jane struggle with a response.

"Maura, you've not been a bad Mom, you're an amazing Mom, I mean you raised two perfectly good kids"

"That's the problem" Maura waved her hands to emphasise her point. "Have I given them too much freedom? Have I given them too little? Have I been too overbearing?"

Jane pouted and rubbed Maura's back in support, easing the M.E's rant.

"You're perfect Maura, but you're children are people too, they have their own will and way and nobody an determine what goes on in their heads"  
>Maura leant back into Jane's soft caress.<p>

"I can't just sit back and do nothing, their sixteen!"

"I'm just saying you haven't been a bad Mom, Maura. Right now, don't doubt yourself" Jane wrapped her hands around Maura's waist from behind and rained the M.E's exposed neck with light kisses. Maura purred, feeling all the stress hide from Jane's affection.

"You haven't got a bad bone in your body" Jane smiled into the skin. "I should know"

Maura smiled at Jane's comment and gasped as she felt Jane suck the skin at the skin between her shoulder at neck.

"Jane" Maura breathed, the physical craving was now smothering the stress. Some times being with another being was the best medicine for stress.

"Now what about a break?" Jane hummed and Maura ached, the decision to get the case resolved or spending a 'lunch break' with Jane battled. Jane knew she needed Maura, just to feel solace with her lover.

"Janie, I can't" Maura broke away, hating her own voice. Jane hung her head but knew Maura's reasoning, the cogs had been turning in her head.

"I got it" Jane smiled and stole a kiss from the M.E. Maura let a raspy giggle spill from her lips after Jane pulled away.

"I'm going to bring in that Volchko kid for questioning" Jane collected the file, she knew it would make good reading with a coffee.

"What about Kristen?" Maura's voice was small as she watched Jane leave.

"We won't say anything to her tonight, but tomorrow, I'm bringing her in"

"Why?" Maura searched Jane's face for an answer.

"I'm going to see if she admits it tonight, let's just say it's a test" Jane opened the door and jogged back upstairs, all attention fixed to the idea of getting a coffee and maybe an apple.

She felt her stomach growl, stress always ate food for her.

* * *

><p>Kristen collected herself before walking back into Sara's office. Ruffling her hair and adjusting her clothes, she flexed her right hand before knocking and letting herself in. The note from the English department was resting in her pocket, this was the one thing that ruled over her mood and the hour with Sara Sciuto.<p>

Kristen smiled softly upon entering and Sara's eyes glistened.

"Have you got the note?" her voice littered the air lightly. Kristen dug into her pocket, always feeling less that perfect around the teacher.

"Ta Da" she presented it to Sara, trying to be charming. The supposed charm made Kristen instantly want to face plant a wall. Bass had a better chance than she did, yet again Bass was probably better company from a bumbling junior.

"Indeed" Sara smiled and stood up. "I'll get a text book" Sara brushed past Kristen, her perfume hugging Kristen as it laced her nose. It was a floral sent, but possessed a smell unique to Miss Sciuto, she always smelt like old books. Sara had wondered into the store cupboard at the back of her office.

"Do you like to read Miss?" Kristen questioned, raising her voice so the teacher could hear her. The room was modern, but still had a vintage feeling to it.

The walls were a light cream and upon the shelves behind the desk sat sculptures of birds, some wood some metal. Then old battered copies of books seemed to overrun the rest of the space.

Kristen would take most of them were documents from the wars and the heritage of Britain. Sara had an odd fascination with the plague.

The woman gave a chuckle and reappeared with a large, but tatty text book.

"How did you guess?" Sara was smirking through her sarcasm.

"I can read minds" Kristen mocked and Sara rose a shaped eyebrow, still grinning at their banter.

"Well, I better not let my mind wonder"

Kristen knew if it was a cartoon, her jaw would have dropped to the floor or she would have fallen in the manner of a plank and face planted.

"I don't think I'd be able to read your mind anyway" Kristen sat on the chair opposite Sara.

"Oh whys that?" Sara flicked through the text book, the pages making a tiny swoosh at her searching.

"I think it'd be to complex to even gather one thought in, you're erm head"

"At least I come off smart" Sara sniggered and looked uncomfortable at the fact Kristen was sat across from her. "Could you move to my side please? I fell a little distant talking over a desk"

"Sure thing" Kristen picked up the chair and placed it to the right of Sara and sat down.

"Right" Sara rolled her shoulders and picked up her pen. "Once the second world war finished"

* * *

><p>Emma was happily sat in Biology, when Mr Tenant approached her. The lanky man with stubble gracing his angular jaw gave her a pained smile.<p>

"Emma" he began and Emma grinned at him. "Could I speak to you for a second" he tapped the desk and Emma left with him, feeling eyes on her back.

As the door dumbed out the chatter of the class room, Mr Tenant began.

"You're being selected to take your exams early"  
>"How's that good?" Emma chuckled and crossed her arms across her chest.<p>

"You'll get a better place in collage and hopefully get there a year earlier"

"What?"

"Well you are let's just say, a hell of a lot better than average"

"Thank you, but I'm not sure how I will be able to prep for the exams this early on"

"Don't worry, we're sorting out a new time table for you and a few others, it'll be fine, you'll go onto do great things Emma, you're that sort of person"

Emma gave him a small smile and accused herself to return back to the class.

Yes, she was pleased with the change, but preparing for everything was daunting.

* * *

><p>Jane read through Laurence Jarvis's file contently sipping at her coffee.<p>

She'd run his name through the system, that was a good place to start.

Korsak was looking through old files, he always seemed to be stuck with that job. Upon spotting Frankie passing, Jane wafted her hand, signalling her little brother in. Frankie smiled at his sister and glanced over to Frost who was hunched at his computer.

"You guys look... busy" Frankie shifted from one foot to the other and Jane set down her coffee.

"Frankie, I need you to do me a favour"

"Yeah, scan this guy through the database and text me the details, I need to go and collect someone for questioning"

Korsak's head shot up, his eyes were pleading, just to get out for an hour or so.

"You're with me" Jane pointed at the lump of a man and he grinned.

"Who are we getting?"

"Dan Volchko" Jane grabbed her blazer from the back of the chair and Korsak followed.


	6. Chapter 6

Now drawing around noon, Sara and Kristen had skipped out on most lessons,having to run around handing in notes like a mad woman had left her uneasy about the next time she left the room. Kristen knew that Sara couldn't disappear, but another teacher could cut their day short.

Sara had called up one of her friends from the University to cover her lessons.

The pair had covered most of the Cold War unit in detail. Sara leant back in her chair and stared at Kristen.

Kristen felt the woman's eyes on her and twitched.

"You want to see something cool?" Sara got up and stretched from sitting for so long.

"Sure, but I'm a little concerned of what you find cool" Kristen flirted and Sara grinned.

"Trust me, I do have a life" Sara beaconed Kristen to her feet and guided her to the back office. Opening the store cupboard, Sara let Kristen walk in first.

Sara tugged on the chain that turned the light on, with a electric pop the cupboard was drowned in light.

"It's a store cupboard" Kristen stated bluntly and Sara rolled her eyes. Their bodies flushed and Kristen held in a breath.

"This is what I want you to see" Sara turned her back to Kristen and pulled a small wooden box from behind a pile of text books.

"Ohhh a box" Kristen remarked softly, her sarcasm making Sara laugh lightly.

"I can see how Jane rubbed off on you"

"You know Jane?" Kristen's voice rose.

"You're Mom is fun to talk to, as are you" Sara walked back out of the store cupboard and Kristen followed. Kristen felt her heart pulse in her skull, she'd spoken to her Mom?

"Maura said Jane is sarcastic, I then said you tend to show that side"

"When did you two talk?"

"We talk often" Sara set the box down on her desk and crossed her arms across her chest. Kristen suddenly felt a spike of nerves hit her again. "Sorry for not telling you about it before I guess, but I update her on you're progress, she likes to know how you are doing"

Kristen knew she'd been distant but to the extent of calling up her teacher to ask.

"Now, onto other matters" Sara held up a finger to pause Kristen's onslaught of questions. "In here is a fob watch" Sara opened the box slowly and plucked the medium sized, dusted bronze watch from it's home.

Kristen approached the object lay in Sara's palm.

"How is it cool?" Kristen asked and Sara smiled affectionately at her then at the watch, the chain swung.

"I found it on a antiques stall in London a few years back, I still don't know why I felt obliged to buy it, but I did and when I got home I did a little research into it"

Kristen hung on her every word.

"After looking into it for about a year, after getting one lead from the random make, it came with a rather charming story" Sara perched on her desk. "It was custom made for an Native American Chief, this man had travelled far and wide after his lover had been taken by 'cowboys'" Sara added the quotation marks with her hands at that point of saying cowboy. "He soon came to the city we now call Vancouver and rescued his lover, a local watch maker was so impressed by this, after saving the Chief from several bullets and had hid him in his cellar for a couple of days to wait, that he made the Chief a watch, although it wasn't a normal watch"

Sara held the watch up to the light and Kristen peered at it.

"It only had two hands" Kristen pondered and Sara nodded.

"One keeps track of moths the other ticks for days"

"Why?"

"They say it keeps track of how long a couple are in love for"

"That's sweet" Kristen sat by Sara and they both peered at it. "How come it's not ticking?"

"I guess it doesn't work any more"

Sara shrugged and handed it to Kristen. Kristen looked at the ingraving on the back of a bird, but for once it wasn't a eagle, it was a sparrow.

"What do you say about some lunch? You look kinda peachy"

"I think you mean peaky" Kristen chuckled and Sara shoved her.

"Shut up"

* * *

><p>The dark brick walls of the interrogation room soaked in Dan Volchko's gritty voice. Jane sat across from him and Frost paced behind her.<p>

His lanky frame seemed barley able to hold up his clothes with the illness that plagued his thin face.

"We can place you at that air field kid" Frost snapped and Dan recoiled further back into the chair.

Jane had her arms cross across her chest, leant back in her chair.

"Okay, yeah I was there" his Boston accent trailed across Jane's skin. How could Kristen even hang around with this kid? "But we bailed, after a guy showed up"

"We?" Frost turned sharply on his heel. Jane leant forward and placed her elbows on the table.

"You didn't say that before" Jane's voice laced anger with boredom, he just kept his mouth shut.

Dan hissed at himself and shifted under their gaze.

"Listen, techs are still at the scene, we could get you pinned for anything" Jane threatened, knowing all too well that he must have been the guy with the weed.

At that moment there was a knock of the door, a hollow thud that broke their aggressive rhythm of questions.

Jane rose to her feet and motioned for Frost to keep at it.

Jane opened the door and Frankie stood with a file.

"This guy had a history of drugs, shipping them you name it, he was your guy"

"Good work Frankie, get onto the techs, I wanna know what else they've found" Frankie nodded then departed. Jane found a sick solace in the knowledge that there vic was definitely in the gang.

When Jane returned to the integration, Dan looked like he was going to puke.

"I didn't start that fire, I'm tellin' you!" he pulled at his hair. Jane slammed the file down on the table.

"Did you know this guy" Jane opened it up and jabbed her finger at his mug shot.

"No" Dan looked repulsed at her suggestion.

"Well he's the guy who died" Frost pipped up.

"Died?" he grimaced. "Listen, I didn't start the fire, the there was shouting so we bailed, the fire was already blazing when we got out"

Jane nodded and ran a hand through her hair.

"You can go" Jane wafted her hand and rested her head in her hands as he stumbled out of the room. Frost frowned at Jane.

"What was that? You just let him walk!"

"We're still waiting for more evidence, we can only place him there and besides, the vic is the one we should be really looking into, not some trespassing kid" Jane stood up and left, Frost followed on her heel.

* * *

><p>Maura was sat her desk, her eyes hurt and he stomach was rumbling to the point of hurting.<p>

Maura glanced at her phone and dialled Jane's number.

"Janie"

"_Hi Maura, I just let that Volchko kid walk, he was shitting himself_"

"Language Jane" Maura felt an ounce of normality return to her when the words fell from her lips. "Have you eaten?"

"_Not properly, an apple and a coffee was my sustenance_"

"Fancy getting a sandwich? There is a new sub shop, it's walking distance"

"_I'm there, meet you at the elevators?_"

"See you in a minuet"

Maura knew this would aid her spinning mind, a walk and something to eat was the perfect distraction.

* * *

><p>Kristen prodded at the salad she'd acquired at the mess hall and Sara ate a plum tomato staring at the uneasy teen.<p>

"What's up?" she asked, brushing the sides of her mouth with a napkin.

Kristen gave a small smile, attempting to reassure the woman.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking" Kristen glared at a cube of goats cheese.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Sara smiled and Kristen felt a lump grow in her throat.

"It's just... I want to know everything, but I don't think I'll get the right answers if I ask and when I go it alone..." Kristen shook her head and popped the goats cheese into her mouth to shut herself up. Sara pondered.

"I say, always ask, not matter if you get the wrong answer or half of one, at least you've questioned it and going it alone is a pretty big step if you don't have the background information"

Kristen shrugged.

"I was just thinking, it wasn't anything that big"

"Still" Sara hummed her words and glanced over to the fob watch. "It took me a year to get the answer with that thing"

"I think on my little quest it might take me longer" Kristen sighed.

"Well, good luck with it" Sara ate more of her salad, picking out the tomatoes to eat them first.

Kristen smiled and bit on her bottom lip.

"From the watch story" the teen started, Sara glanced up from her food. "Do you believe in love or that it can detect love?"

_Ballsy move Kris._

Sara set her fork down and looked up in thought.

"I believe that given the chance the watch would work... if it was exposed to the emotions of two people long enough, but personally, yes I believe in love, even if it is chemical reactions in the body"

Kristen glanced over the the watch again, Sara had been noting Kristen's behaviour all day. Kindly looking at the girl, Sara spoke up.

"Do you believe in love?"

If it had been any other student it would have been weird, but with Kristen she felt like she had more freedom to say and do what she liked under the guidelines of the school.

Kristen almost choked on the leaf of salad she'd been chewing, finishing it, she spoke up shyly.

"Yeah" she responded and looked down at her hands.

Sara pushed her salad away.

"Then we have no problem" Sara announced and Kristen peered up, in shock of what she'd just said.

"Problem...we had a problem?" Kristen felt like she'd been hit over the head, she suddenly felt her blood rush and her heart race.

"You keep looking at the fob watch, expecting it to tick Kristen, secretly me too" her voice was hushed. Sara's eyes bore into Kristen's and a timid smile played upon the teachers lips.

_.Now... wait don't kill me, let her kiss me THEN kill me._

* * *

><p>Maura sifted uncomfortably, something was nagging at her. Her thoughts were like old crows, pecking at the flesh of her theories, leaving them exposed and wondering.<p>

She was sure the victim had suffocated, but whether it was an accident or purposeful still plagued her. Maura grimaced at the thought that Kristen could have killed him, taking in his background, Kristen could have seen it as motive.

"No" Maura stopped herself and stood up from her desk, she was going to reassess the body then hopefully stop her racing thoughts.

Pulling the hideous body from the freezer, Maura set to work (with a little help from the techs) re-examining the body.

* * *

><p>Jane huddled over the file, her hands twitching and her eyes trained on reading that data tirelessly before leaning back for a few seconds to being to routine again for another 'fresh' out look.<p>

She couldn't let her guard fall, she wasn't allowed to let that tiny ounce of fear, sickeningly twisting her gut into a bow as her sight fell upon the evidence betray her resolve.

Gulping thickly, Jane sighed. She felt eyes crawl up her back, stabbing into her, waiting for the moment where she'd run out crying.

Yes, Jane Rizzoli had acted like a Mother to this girl.

Yes, Jane Rizzoli was a woman, the only woman in the Boston P.D homicide unit.

But crying in front of people wasn't her thing.

God damn she'd been shot and she hadn't cried.

So why should this evidence give her reason to now?

Jane listened to her chair creak and her breathing halt as she leant back another time out of the sixteen that had past.

She had to stop, get the hell out of the room for a little while, go walk Jo, do something to revitalise her current metal state.

Her unruly coils of raven hair spilled down past her slumped shoulders, her blouse was creased and her blazer was hanging off the corner of the chair, another lean back and it would fall to the floor.

She'd let it, it's not like it mattered anyway, it was just a item of clothing.

Jane stood up and stretched, the ecstasy of the blood returning to her limbs and a few joints cracking assured the Detective that have a walk was the best idea she'd had all day.

Waking up was by far, the worst.

The trip from the bull pen down to the lobby was a blur to Jane's wandering mind.

As a few returning patrol officers breezed their way past, Jane pushed open the P.D doors with a stiff click and let the evening air wash over her. The door clicked shut again, this time with a thick thud following it.

Jane welcomed the sound of the Boston traffic, distant car horns and the rumble of engines let her mind settle. A breeze tussled her hair, the urge to correct the mess of hair that was draped over her tired features was impending but the Detective resisted, knowing all to well another gust would shit on her attempt to make herself look half presentable to the passers by.

The street lights above warmed to the night sky, some flickering like giant moths fluttered under them.

Jane looked around and hugged her arms around her abdomen briefly before letting them rest by her sides, feeling like an arse in this stance, Jane soon settled with crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against a nearby railing so she didn't look so confused.

She smelt the stuffy warmth of her deodorant and closed her eyes. She needed a shower, a cold one then her bed, preferably with Maura keeping it cosy. Jane licked her drying lips and lolled her head back.

_God damn Kris. _

_Her finger prints are at a crime scene._

Jane felt her neck crack, the sound grinding like bone bubble wrap. The Detective felt the impending urge just to get in her Subaru and go home, but it was up to her to save the day and be the 'hero'.

Even hero's need a break, maybe the world didn't need another hero. Jane rubbed her eyes and walked back inside, she'd go home, besides she had the feeling Maura would be working late, she hadn't seen her since lunch.

* * *

><p>Emma was sat next to Bass, the hum of the empty house warmed her heart towards the embrace of solitude.<p>

Jo trotted past and looked at the pair.

"Come here" Emma cooed and Jo curled in her lap.

"You guys are the same as me" she chuckled coldly. "You have no idea what's going on"

Bass was happily chewing on a strawberry and Jo was soon cuddled with Emma.

Kristen hadn't turned up, Jane and Maura seemed to follow that fashion of being late. Not that she really cared, time alone was something she adored once and a while, being under pressure by teachers to get through exams was enough to make her want to curl up under a rock and tell them all to fuck off for a hour or so.


	7. Chapter 7

**What are you guys thinking about it all? Good or Bad, let me know. There will be Rizzles don't think I've abandoned them for Kris and Sara.**

* * *

><p>Jane slotted her keys into the front door and with a stiff click and shove, the door opened.<p>

"About time" Emma's voice sounded from the sitting room. Jane dumped her keys in the wicker tray.

"You've been sat in here by yourself since the end of school?" Jane felt guilt stab at her, around 6 hours cooped up in the house.

_Great parenting Jane. _

"Jo and Bass kept me company" Emma smiled fondly at Bass who was slowly retreating from Jane. His rear wobbling in his attempt.

"Sorry about that" Jane ran a hand through her hair and leant over to kiss Emma on the head in greeting.

"I had some tuna and ate the rest of the ice cream, so we have to get some more" Emma noted peering around her shoulder to see what Jane was doing.

"We'll go and get some" Jane looked back at the door, her proposal ringing out.

"Huh?" Emma sat up at the suggestion.

"I need a trip out and I'm guessing you'd like more ice cream... come on" Jane grinned at the prospect of some thing that wasn't work related and snatched her keys back up. Emma jumped at the chance and slipping on a pair of shoes, she followed Jane out.

* * *

><p>The crackling sound of a record being played filed Sara Sciuto's office, Dream a Little Dream drifted around the room. Papers littered the floor and Sara lay on her front, reading the old parchment lovingly.<p>

Kristen sat by her, cross legged reading a old documentation about women in the munitions factories during World War Two. Her eyes were itchy as they passed over the faded print.

"I love Doris Day" Sara sighed, kicking her legs up and down.

Kristen smiled over to her, she felt hideously modern in comparison.

"It makes everything feel so, old" Kristen chuckled and Sara looked up from the papers to grin at the girl.

"But don't you love it? I mean, modern society seems so rude and garish, there was charm in the past, you can rarely find it today"

"So you're looking for charm?" Kristen shut the book with a short clap of cover to page.

"Yes" Sara sighed and rolled onto her back, her hair falling to frame her face as she grazed at the ceiling.

Kristen smiled at the woman, this is why she was attracted to her and only her, she looked to the past to stay in the present.

"I'm looking for peace" Kristen sighed and ruffled her hair. Sara's pencil skirt had ridden up considerably, exposing her long legs. Kristen's eyes roamed over the skin, but scolded herself quickly for such an action. Kristen soon remembered the torment of the night before and felt a chill expose her skin. The sudden change of thought left her with a tiny self inflicted headache.

* * *

><p>Maura felt the bile travel to her throat and suppressed the urge to vomit. The body's odour still clung to her overalls and stank, the putrid stench was a constant reminder. Maura shed the overalls like dead skin and retreated to her office with the intention to drown the stink out with the application of perfume for the time being.<p>

At least she now had the answer, the nagging had gone, she'd known this former con had a lot to hide, but she couldn't be certain the finding was solid until tomorrow, there was no getting her hopes up _just_ yet, the lab was still held up with all the other evidence.

Closing the door she pressed her back to it and looked at the desk. The ruthless organisation was her pride and her monitor screen whirred, lighting up the wood of her desk. Maura rolled her shoulders and walked over it to collect her keys and head home, she was sure Jane had already left.

Gathering her purse, coat and keys Maura walked from her office and from there, out of the building. Intent on one thing, sleep or probably a shower and glass of wine before she'd let her body indulge in sleep, the idea seduced her.

* * *

><p>Kristen walked by Sara's side to her old, battered Volks Wagen Beetle.<p>

"A Nazi car? Smooth" Kristen chuckled, pressing the books that Sara had handed to her to her chest. The night air had soon become bitter, the wind had picked up and tugged at their clothing.

"Ah so you do listen in class, if I had a ford would you say the same?" Sara chuckled, opening the trunk to place the books in there.

"Probably, Henry Ford did support the Nazi party... you yeah, you'd still be driving a Nazi car"

"I'll let you off, you _do_ listen, oh and check me out at the same time"

With a solid thump as the fist five landed, Kristen then placed her group of tattered books to the collection. Thinking of the most harmless way to approach the comment, Kristin smirked.

"You wish" Kristen scoffed and Sara raised an eyebrow.

"Then wishes come true" Sara smiled impishly"Get in"

"What? I couldn't, you have to get..."

Sara pinched Kristen's chin to silence her.

"I wouldn't be asking if I didn't want you too" Sara let her index finger stroke Kristen's jaw line as their eyes met.

Kristen gulped and nodded dumbly.

"Besides" Sara spoke walking around the other side of the car. "I want to see where you live"

"So you can stalk me?" Kristen joked, attempting to regain the posture she'd lost in the previous contact .

"Very much so" Sara winked at the teen as they both got into the car.

* * *

><p>If optimists lived longer, then Maura's days were numbered.<p>

Maura drove back to the house, her head swarmed with tiny gremlins of pessimistic ideals.

The M.E listened to the hollow click of the indicator as she turned down the street. It's rhythm was kind and to an extent soothed her mind.

Watching the street lights row the sidewal like lanterns, rusty, flickering, dysfunctional _lanterns_. Maura made a mental note to write to someone about the maintenance of the lamps.

"I'm getting old" she groaned and batted away the idea. Jane would laugh at her like usual if she suggested it, so would the girls for that matter.

Maura inhaled, bringing new life it to her other wise, wrecked body and pulled into the driveway.

The short task of unclipping her seatbelt and getting out got slower, she was tired physically and emotionally, she would have to indulge into a morning coffee if today was just the start of a case.

Yes, studies have proven that say coffee drinkers are more alert, but Maura didn't like the prospect of this certain effect, she didn't really want to be alert if any new evidence came up against Kristen.

The click of her heels echoed around the front porch of the house. Maura sighed and let herself in with a simple application of the key.

The house was empty apart from a still retreating Bass and a sleepy Jo.

Maura grinned at the tortoise as he wondered.

"Someone's feeling a little active" she cooed to the animal. With a clank, Maura dropped her keys into the basket.

Emma and Jane must have gone somewhere, venturing into the kitchen the M.E soon fathomed why. There was hardly anything they classed as food in the fridge.

Maura plucked the carton of milk from it's chilled innards and poured herself a glass. It had been years since she'd done this, she'd regressed to her childhood favouritism for the particular liquid.

Drinking it into petite gulps, Maura stared around the house and her ears perked up to listen as a car pulled up outside the house.

Setting the glass down Maura walked to the window to peer out into the evening abyss to spot the arrival.

Poking her head around the curtain she spotted a battered old Volks Wagen, chugging as it was still running while parked up, like the car it's self was shrugging.

The old yellow head lights light the street and the click of an opening door filled the air, Maura could hear it through the windowpane.

The M.E soon spotted two women emerge from it's bowels. Maura looked side to side franticly, her hair flying in random directions in the jerks of her body. Bass was still plodding around in the background, contented that Jane hadn't returned, his tiny face smug with the fact. The M.E resorted to ducking and poking her head up just enough so she could spot what they were up to.

Hating the pressure that was now applied on her heel clad feet she narrowed her eyes to catch a glimpse of Kristen and a young woman standing across from one another. They appeared as if they were talking.

"Isn't that..." Maura pondered and the sound of Bass banging into something cut her theory short. In the brief distraction of a disgruntled tortoise and a rather grumpy bark from Jo, Maura returned her gaze to instantly become slack jawed.

Pulling into her brows into a fixed frown and her mouth still agape, the M.E stared at the pair sharing a rather heated kiss, involving the young woman to have her back pressed to the car window.

Her stomach lurched and she fell off balance from her crouch, wobbling for a second before falling onto her back.

As Jane would say, she'd turtled herself.

Jo gave another, more amused bark and Bass shrunk into his shell.

Maura crawled back up, alert and eyed the couple. Kristen was walking up the driveway, almost skipping if Maura's observation was correct.

The Volks Wager along with it's owner was already half way down the road.

"Oh, oh no, uh oh" Maura got to her feet and ran into the kitchen or rather lunged. As the sound of a key slotting into the front door sounded Maura's scrambled to make herself look busy.

"Hey Mom" Kristen greeted, her voice peppy in contrast to her usual tired drone.

"You're back late" Maura spoke woodenly, with her back turned to the teen so Kristen couldn't witness the embarrassed blush the M.E supported.

"Yeah, I know... sorry, I was with Miss Sciuto" Kristen's words were rushed.

"Miss Sciuto" Maura's voice raised an octave.

"_Yeah_, you know, the woman who's been calling you or you've been call... urg whatever" Kristen dropped while crossing her arms with an unimpressed glare lighting her face. Maura scowled at herself and whipped around with a sheepish grin on her face.

"Yes, I have been calling her, just to check in on your academic progress"  
>"Mom, you could just <em>ask<em>" Kristen huffed and threw her bag with disregard into the corner of the room.

Maura frowned at the floor and then back up at her daughter.

"Yes I could, but I think I wouldn't get a straight answer" Maura sucked her cheeks in and scowled. Kristen knew that look, the 'scary fish' look as she used to call it, was only used when a challenge was presented to the pair.

"D..Don't pull that face Mom" Kristen winced and began to walk to her room.

"Kristen Darcy Isles do not walk away from me!"

Kristen winced inwardly, full name, she was in the shit.

Maura stood with her arms crossed and a face of thunder, all the days stresses were displayed across her once golden features.

"I want you to be honest with me" Maura walked up to her daughter, even though Kristen had the advantage of height in the situation, Maura still proved to be a tornado. "I want you Kristen to start telling me things, I feel cut out from your life, like I'm no longer needed" Maura's voice hitched in her throat as tears welled in her eyes and her nose began to burn with the wave of sudden emotion. Kristen stood helpless and felt a knife twist in her gut. Honesty was never the best medicine, but lies created toxins.

Kristen closed her eyes and stuffed her hands into her pockets.

The sound of the door opening insured Jane and Emma had returned. Happy chatter filtered in like a sharp icy breeze to the flames of their argument.

"Maura" Jane noticed the tears threatening in Maura's eyes and stuffed the paper grocery bag into Emma's hands. "Kristen" Jane strode over and pointed at Kristen accusingly.

"What happened?" Jane barked, the bull dog attitude was growling.

Kristen set her jaw and Emma placed the bag slowly on the counter top, watching the scene.

Bass was still in his shell and Jo sat on the sofa, eyes trained on Jane's seething form.

"Nothing" Maura sniffled and wafted her hand in dismissal.

"No, you, you can't do that" Kristen snapped, her voice faltering. "I..."

"Kristen has been looking into Richard Bridge" Emma snapped, her voice slapping Kristen across the face with the force of a bulldozer. Emma slapped a hand over her mouth to prevent any other information spilling out. Emma had figured it out after Jane had told her about the airfield fire and Kristen's odd behaviour of late and the file. It just fit together, like a jigsaw that had knife shaped pieces.

"No, what... Emma, you fucking..." Kristen snapped her body around and hissed at her sibling.

"Oh so you knew as well" Jane jutted her hand out in the direction of Emma.

"No! I guessed!" Emma defended, raising her voice.

"You guessed?" Kristen barked and the hectic shower of shouting soon fell upon the occupants of the house.

"Language Kristen" Maura snapped over the row.

"Wait, so you did lie to us?" Jane stood by Maura.

"I'm not lying" Kristen struggled. Arguments rained. Jane battled with Kristen while Maura tried to get Kristen to stop using the more offensive and colourful collection of the English language to prove her innocence. Emma and Kristen were shouting abuse at each other.

Jo soon joined in barking, not missing a beat.

Maura pressed her mouth into a thin line and made a swipe for Jane's gun. Grasping it Jane span around in horror.

Maura pointed it at the floor and shot. The sound reverberated in a sudden shock wave. Jane's heart leapt into her throat. Kristen and Emma recoiled and Maura stood, chest heaving and her face blotchy.

"RIGHT" Maura shouted, her voice cracked at the strain on her vocal chords. The M.E let the gun hang loosely by her hip.

"Tomorrow morning, I want to see Kristen at the Police Department, Jane make sure a interrogation room is free, Emma you are going to school. Jane and I are now going to go to bed, Kristen you are going to bed and you are grounded. If I hear one more foul word being produced from your mouth I swear I will get soap and stuff it down your throat, Emma go to bed... any objections?"

The siblings shook their heads, wide eyed and pale faced.

Kristen felt sick, like her insides might as well leap out of her throat because she was sure she wasn't going to be needing them much longer after tomorrow.

Emma winced at Maura's state and Jane flexed her hand, itching to get the gun away from Maura in her current metal state. Maura handed the gun back to Jane and frog marched Kristen into her room and let Emma go of her own accord. Maura walked into the room after Kristen, there was a scuffling noise and Maura walked out with the light bulb. Jane rose her eyebrow but didn't question it.

Emma slunk into her room and closed the door quietly.

Jane gulped and let her gun rest on the counter, Jo was still growling.

"Shh Jo" Jane hissed and the terrier slunk into a sulk.

Maura closed her eyes, they stung and her body was sluggish.

"M" Jane opened out her arms, still shaky from the sound of gun fire at the hands of Maura Isles.

Maura pulled the Detective close and sobbed into her chest, her body quaking.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm begining to think this is like any other film triolgy, the first one is great, second one good, third one... not so great, I promise this will get better. <strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you for all the comments, I really do appreciate it. Any more comments are welcome.**

**Slight M in this chapter.**

* * *

><p>Jane glanced down at the bullet splintered into the wood of the floor. It's bronze skin shimmering with the evaporation of heat. Maura was still quaking in her embrace as her sight was trained onto the tiny wooden crater.<p>

"Maura, never do that again" Jane spoke into the M.E's hair. "You nearly blew my toes off"

"S..sorry" Maura squirmed and Jane held her tighter into response to her movement.

"Let's just go to bed" Jane guided the shaken M.E into their room. Her intentions set on curing Maura of her stress, even if it took all night.

Jane made sure the door was firmly shut and sat Maura down on their bed, kneeling in front of her, Jane's eyes grazed Maura's stressed features. The mattress was dipping with Maura's weight applied to the edge of the bed.

"Janie, I can't..." Maura let her head fall into her hands and began to quake again, fresh salty tears stained her angelic features and that in it's self was a sin. Jane sighed heavily and coaxed Maura from the darkness her palms that she shaded her sight with.

"You can" Jane spoke softly and cupped the right side of Maura's reddened face. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was pink.

" Jane. Kristen doesn't _trust _me. I feel so, so, guilty becouse for a brief moment, I didn't trust her either... she walked into the house like a stranger, like the people you put away everyday...a suspect, Jane I've demanded her to be interrogated, my own daughter" Maura whimpered. The M.E found herself in turmoil, the fresh vision of Kristen and her teacher toyed with the threads of her mind. It was unethical for such behaviour as much as it made her angry, it created a sinking feeling the pit of her stomach that she couldn't ease. Kristen had probably found for the first time, someone who seemed to settle her. Maura groaned and pressed her mouth into a thin line, she wouldn't tell Jane, but she would pursue the matter, thoroughly. Jane closed her eyes and inhaled.

"It's for the best" Jane felt her voice grate against her throat. "I mean... it's just..." Jane struggled to pace her words and frame them in the golden savour that Maura needed.

"She's a teenager" Jane spoke through gritted teeth and almost grinned when I meaningful sentence formed. "She'll hide things, hide behind lies to avoid talking to you, becouse you are her Mom, at this moment in her eyes, M, you're the enemy that'll stop her 'fun'... but this whole thing, it'll work out okay... tomorrow will happen with good intentions" Jane nodded and with relief pressed her forehead to Maura's. The M.E nuzzled their noses together and warmed to Jane's contact. The Detective was like a forcefield, protecting her from anything the world threw at them. Jane smiled weakly and felt Maura fall back onto the bed. Jane climbed atop of her. The two women stared at each other, Maura's eyes had calmed and her face was toning down from the red mess it had been formerly.

"You seem like you're talking from experience Janie"Maura's voice was small, her mind was still preoccupied with the thought of Kristen dating a teacher. Jane scoffed and smirked.

"You could say that"

"Yes, I just did... Jane, tell me?"

Jane brushed the side of Maura's face and bit on the inside of her cheek.

"I'm sure you did things you didn't tell your Mom..." Jane challenged in good spirit.

Maura looked away to the left and sighed.

"She was never around so she could pry into my life... but yes I will admit, I dabbled in some late nights"

"I mean past the age of eighteen Maura"

"Very funny" Maura sighed and shoved Jane lightly. "I did a few things"

"Oh really?" Jane began to play with the hem of Maura's dress.

Maura was hindered as Jane's hand roamed upwards, pushing past the hem and brushing the heated creamy flash that had lay under the fabric all day. The physical side of their relationship was an aid to the emotional.

"Yes... it was enlightening"

"Do I even _really_ want to know now?" Jane had her eyes fixed on Maura's change of expression, she'd relaxed. Maura smiled and her eyes fluttered shut.

"No, not really" she let Jane continue to trail her hand up the skin of her right thigh. Jane smiled softly as she hitched the dress up around Maura's hips and began to kiss the tender skin of the M.E's thighs.

"Janie" Maura whispered, gulping her she felt Jane nip at the skin of her inner tight, her teeth pinching the flesh.

"Mm-hm" Jane sounded, nuzzling her nose into the damp fabric of Maura's underwear, the black lace making her purr in anticipation. Maura's hands wound into the Detective's raven waves and massaged her scalp.

Maura gulped and let deep breaths cut out her words.

"Don't stop" Maura knew sex relived stress, so why not take a page from her own advice.

Jane closed her eyes as she felt Maura scratch at her scalp as she soon pulled down the hem of her underwear.

"Too soon" Maura sat up and untangled her hands from Jane's hair.

Jane looked up with a tiny pout and Maura patted her lap in signal that Jane could straddle her. The Detective obliged without hesitation and let their crotches rest upon one another.

"Muchhhhh better" Maura hummed and kissed Jane contently.

The sounds of their pecking beat over the tick of Jane's watch. She soon guessed that time wasn't going to matter much if they were going to continue with the physical display of affection.

Maura let her right hand travel down and unzip Jane's trousers.

"We have to make it equal" Maura panted and Jane rolled her eyes, kissing along the M.E's jaw line.

"No we don't" she grinned and pulled Maura's dress over her head with a sharp tug, leaving her exposed in black lace bra, the material twinned with that of her panties.

"Jane, that's not... uhhh" Maura lolled her head back as Jane kissed her cleavage, nuzzling the soft mounds and Maura held Jane's head their, her other hand busy propping herself up.

"I love you" Maura panted and Jane kissed the soft skin.

"I love you too M" Jane's voice was raspy and melted into the skin of Maura's left breast.

* * *

><p>The lonely purr of a car engine sounded as it travelled. The headlights illuminated the darkness that radiated from the road, the wheels crunched over loose stones.<p>

The black Jaguar XF pulled up outside the Isles residence and the driver's window rolled down with a dumb buzz. The driver cut out the lights.

"Yeah, we got em" the husk of a male voice trailed from the car.

The sound of the voice down a phone broke the purr of the engine.

"I think they're all asleep by the looks of it... do you think the kids in there?"

Another canny response sounded.

"Okay, but I just don't think it's..." the driver paused his words to listen to the other man down the line.

"Yeah, fine, you got it"

With that the phone call ended and the window soon rose to it's place again. The Jaguar then drove off, the lights flicking back on further down the street.

* * *

><p>Kristen glanced at her phone screen in the dark. The bright back light made her eyes ache with it's intensity.<p>

Peering at the wallpaper of her and Jane climbing on a large stuffed bear when they took at trip around Canada last year would have made her smile, but given the circumstances, she was considering deleting it in spite.

Jane.

Kristen gritted her teeth and lay back, her duvet making a crisp, soft poof when she shifted atop of it.

Rolling onto her side she abandoned her phone and her mind wandered back to the previous day, before everything went on a downward spiral.

Smiling softly she licked her bottom lip, she was sure some of Sara's lipstick had been transferred in a careless smudge.

The teen then thought back to the file in her bag, she wasn't tired and she had all night.

Kristen sat back up and carefully walked from her bed to crouch down and grasp the file.

Feeling her heart beat increase, she opened it and walked back to her bed to sit and read. Grabbing her phone and using it's screen as a light, she began to scan the details.

Kristen knew she didn't need the details into the flights in her search, she already knew who the bastard was, she knew what harm he'd put them in, but she knew with the file she could shortly end it. The gang needed the file, they needed to dispose of it due to the fact that Richard and Claire hadn't logged the flight the day they had died. They hadn't intended to fly on the jet at all, they'd intended to drive, Kristen knew this from the fact she'd remembered it.

Kristen had figured out their plot.

They'd killed Richard and Claire after luring them to the air field, god knows what they'd done to convince the pair. Kristen remembered on how set they'd been on getting there on time, even if the memory was fuzzy and fragmented, she could still pick out some details.

The gang had probably killed them and then placed them in the jet or killed them on the jet or made Richard fly the jet in a suicide mission. Kristen shifted in discomfort.

"Wait" Kristen sounded and lay back on her bed, her mind soon realed with a new theory.

If the gang had wanted the money... wouldn't it have been stupid to kill them? Kristen's eyes widened.

Richard had killed them both to stop the gang pursuing him.

"Oh my God" Kristen sat up and glanced at the file. Richard probably planned it, they'd be sent to Maura's, in all knowledge that they'd be with their biological Mother after his and Claire's death. The gang wouldn't be able to track them down, apart from the fact Maura had slipped up and not changed their last names.

Kristen let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and stuffed the file into her backpack.

She'd lead the gang straight to them and they probably didn't even need the file.

"Shit, shit, shit" Kristen gritted her teeth and began to pace.

She'd already set out to find them before they found her, but now on uneven ground, it was anyone's game.

Kristen picked up her phone and slid it into her pocket. She knew she had to lure them somewhere, but for now, she knew the one place she'd rather be to clear her head. Slipping on a pair of red Converse Oxfords, Kristen gulped and tiptoed to the door.

Cracking it open and listening with bated breath for any sign of movement at the other side, Kristen snuck out.

Choosing her path carefully, she glanced around the dark of the hallway and walked out into the sitting room.

Her heart hammered in her ears and she was accurate aware of every breath she took.

Hindering her stealth, Kristen's right foot soon hit something, knocking her off balance and lurching unevenly, she tried to not make a sound as her body lurched through the air and gravity played it's part in making her at one with the ground.

Kristen felt the side of the coffee table clip the left side of her head, just above her eyebrow and she felt to the floor with a muffled thud.

"Fuck" Kristen hissed as she clamped her hand over the throbbing injury, she rolled onto her back and searched for the offending object that had caused her to fall.

Bass stared at her, the sympathetic gesture of shrinking into his shell gave her no constellation.

"Damn tortoise" Kristen soon regretted her hiss and Bass's head protruded from the comfort of his mobile home and began to plod away. She frowned and sighed, guilt stabbed at her gut.

"Sorry Bass" she whispered and he still moved away. She make it up to him with strawberries.

Kristen clambered back to her feet and removed her hand from the wound on her forehead.

* * *

><p>Maura pinned Jane's arms above her head and kissed the now naked Detective heatedly. Jane's heaving chest left Maura at owe with how stunning the woman looked naked and with her skin flushed with heat.<p>

Maura let her other hand cup Jane's crotch and Jane let out a strangled yelp into their kiss. Maura rubbed the damp folds and felt Jane buck against her.

"Do it Maura" Jane's irritation made Maura more inclined to tease her.

"But don't you find it alluring how the body will naturally respond to another being"

"Yeah, yeah very _alluring_" Jane grumbled and Maura rose an eyebrow.

"I don't think you're in any position to tease _me_ about _my_ pondering"

"Yeah well I'm pondering when _you'll_ actually get around to having sex with me" Jane pouted and slowed her breathing to let Maura know how irritating it actually was. Her crotch had began to ache with the loss of attention.

"Well if you're going to be like that" Maura took her hand away and still had Jane's hands pinned. "Maybe I'll just tease you until I feel like you deserve my _attention_"

"Aww, no Maura" Jane let out a grunt as the M.E caught Jane's right nipple between her teeth.

Jane's chest ached with electric pulses.

Jane let out an involuntary gasp which soon moulded into a groan. Maura grinned and mentally charted their progress. She always did this when she was pleasing Jane, on the receiving end it was much to hard to chart their progress accurately.

_Foreplay... still._

Maura grinned at her mental note and kissed Jane's swollen lips, dipping her tongue into her mouth to brush with the Detective's.

"Maura" Jane gulped harshly and writhed. "_Please_"

* * *

><p>Kristen searched rapidly for Sara's number in the phone book, knowing the task would take longer due to the tiny detail of her now aching head.<p>

Trailing her index finger down the page, she finally came to Sara's number and punched it into the key pad on her phone, the saved it into her contacts, she knew she'd have to call her when she was outside the house.

Kristen then opened the front door slowly and stepped out in the crisp night air. Flicking through the contacts on her phone, Sara's number was soon highlighted and she pressed down on the green dial button to secure the chances of contact.

Listening to the sinus drone as she walked down the driveway, Kristen held her breath as Sara's voice bled down to her ear.

"_Hello_?" her voice was rough.

"Oh shit, sorry did I wake you up?"

"_Kristen? No, no, I was just... yes okay I was asleep, but I'm awake now, are you okay?_"

"I just need a little, comfort I guess" Kristen winced as she admitted it, she sounded so childish, so... clingy.

"_Come round, I live right next to Grimm's books and antiques... you know where that is_?"

"Yeah, I go past there quite a lot.. the apartment building?"

"_That's the one, I'll make some coffee, how long do you think you'll be?_"

"Ten minuets if I cycle fast enough" Kristen smirked and glanced over to her bike that was propped up against the fence.

"_Be careful_"

"I'll see you"

Kristen hung up first and groaned. She should have said bye properly.


	9. Chapter 9

**sorry theres not much going on in this chapter... chapter 10 will be the last one so expect it to take longer and have alot more in it. Hope I'm keeping you all entertained.**

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><p>The street lights targeted Kristen's frame as she rode through the city. The thrill of the escape pumped through her veins and bounced around her nerves with an electricity that was only reserved for the thrill of running away.<p>

The whirr of her bike wheels secured the feeling of breaking ties with her family. She was her own person, she had her own mind and right now, she loved it.

Kristen pulled up outside the apartment building. Large, grand black railings crowned the doorway

an old racing bike was chained to the railings, so Kristen decided to place her bike next to it.

Kristen looked at the door and sighed heavily while walking into the lobby and glanced between the elevator or the stairwell. Kristen then examined the list of tenants. Sara was number 25. Kristen rubbed her eyes and took the stairwell.

Her footsteps echoed against the concrete steps and her hands grazed either side of the walls, she grinned at feeling of the rough the brick against her tender skin. The contrast left her palms stinging.

Reaching Sara's floor Kristen pushed open the door with a stubborn clank and slunk out into the corridor.

Looking down at her reddened palms and stuffed her hands into her pockets and walked to the last door in the corridor. The light flickered ahead and the sound of her footsteps crawled up the walls.

Kristen took a long breath and knocked on the black door.

A rustling sounded from inside and Kristen stepped back when the door opened.

Sara was clad in an oversized dark green sweater that brushed her bare knees and her hair was ruffled.

"I have a cup of coffee with your name on it" Sara smiled softly, her almond shaped eyes graced Kristen's features softly.

"Thanks" Kristen gulped and Sara stood aside to let her in.

The world that was Sara Sciuto was born around Kristen.

The walls were printed with a turquoise and black floral pattern on the top half the bottom half was old wooden slats. Four Bird cages hung from the ceiling, in them they held books. Old cinema lights were propped up in each corner of the room, dimly lighting the space.

The sofa was old and battered brown leather, the flooring creaked as Kristen stepped upon it.

The coffee table was swamped with papers. The right wall next to the door was practically a bookshelf. Rotted wooden chunks were fixed to the wall and possessed books and boxes of trinkets, as well as two small sculptures of reindeer heads.

A hat stand with a bowler and top hat hung on two arms as well as holding scarves and coats sat in the corner.

Sara closed the door behind her and pressed her back into the cold wood, watching Kristen take in her abode.

There was no TV just an old wireless perched on a side table next to the sofa.

The kitchen was blocked off with a curtain of wooden beads.

"I'll get the coffee" she smiled softly and with the swish and clatter of the wooden beads Sara's was gone.

Kristen hugged herself as she stood in Wonder Land.

"Here" Sara handed her a mug that read 'Coffee Slut' in bold curled writing. Kristen smirked at it and Sara was already sat on the sofa.

"Charming mug" Kristen noted and Sara patted the space beside her with a small smile playing on her lips.

"What's up Krisy?"

Kristen's heart fluttered with the use of her nickname.

"Just... erm, you know... home, my Mom's being a little intense"

"She means well" Sara stated and sipped at her coffee.

"Do _have_ to be like that?" Kristen hugged her mug with her palms and studied Sara's face.

"Like what?" Sara rose an eyebrow at the accusation.

"Like a teacher" Kristen chuckled and looked into the coffee, the brown abyss was steaming replicating how her heart was reacting to Sara.

Sara bit down on her bottom lip and winked at her.

"Maybe becouse it's my job"

Kristen mocked shock.

"I would have NEVER have guess, _really_?"

Kristen's joking was cut short as a voice called from behind a door to the far left of the room. Sara winced. Kristen's eyes widened and her heart stopped.

"Baby, who've you got round?" a husky male voice called out and Sara set down her mug. Kristen's face ran of colour.

"You have a boyfriend?" Kristen mumbled and her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. She felt bile curdle in the sea of her stomach and rise to form a lump in her throat.

Tears stung the edge of her eyes and threatened to spill.

She felt a gush a pain rush to her gut and from there a firecracker blew up her insides.

Sara avoided eye contact.

"Rustle... he is"

"Rustle" Kristen breathed out the name and set the mug down with a loud clank. "I'll leave you two to get on"

Kristen bet with all her money Sara's was naked under the sweater and she'd just got up from having sex with her _boyfriend_.

Her heart ached and it pulsed in her ears, Kristen's skin crawled.

"No _Krisy_"

Kristen wanted to slap the name right out of her mouth. She'd seemed so, perfect.

"Don't" Kristen felt her cheeks flush and her body was acting on it's own. Her legs carried her to the door and her hand clasped the handle.

"Thank you for the offer of coffee and thanks for offering to have me around, but I think you have someone else to entertain" Kristen's voice shook coldly on the last four words and she wrenched the door open.

"Kristen, please..."

Kristen looked to the floor and didn't turn.

"I'm just the girl on the side" Kristen felt her breathing increase as the fact left her lips. "I'll see you in school, probably in detention or something" Kristen slammed the door behind her and ran down the corridor. The sound of the door opening again and her name being called didn't deter her from her escape, she had no idea where she would go, but she'd go somewhere far away from Sara and the rest of her problems.

* * *

><p>A beam of sunlight crossed Jane's eyes and rudely pulled her from her slumber.<p>

"God damn, what the?" Jane shielded her eyes with her hand and grumbled. Maura rolled over and snuggled into Jane's side.

The shade her palm cast didn't aid her sight for long, the morning fuzz of heat and light was broken when Emma knocked on the door, then walked in.

"Oh what the hell?" Emma staggered away as she stumbled upon the two woman intertwined and naked.

"Christ!" Jane yelped and wrenched the duvet to cover herself, consequently flipping the sleeping M.E out of the bed. "Oh shit!" Jane clamped a hand over her mouth as Maura made a abrupt grunt as her body hit the floor.

Emma turned her back on the scene and held in a burst of laughter, but struggled so her body quaked in a wordless burst of hysteric laughter.

"Jane I would like to know why the hell I... oh!" Maura climbed to her feet and noticed Emma with her back turned to them and leapt under the covers with Jane.

"You can turn back around now" Jane's cheeks had turned a shade of pink and Maura's bed head made the M.E look like Animal.

Emma turned and began to laugh at the women's sheepish expression's.

"What did you want?" Maura spoke sternly over the sound of her daughters laughter. Emma leant on the door frame for support and her laughing calmed.

"You two..." Emma began to laugh again, replaying the moment where Maura had practically flipped out of bed. She received to stern looks.

"Fine, fine, I'm over it" Emma held up her hands in defence. "I just came to say, Kristen won't get up or get out of her room for that matter" Emma looked over her shoulder to Kristen's door.

Jane and Maura shared a glance then the sound of their phones ringing drew the worst assumption from their awakening minds.

"Rizzoli"

"Isles"

Emma swiftly left the room and hammered on Kristen's door.

"Get up" she kicked the door, making the wood tremble and sighed.

Emma picked up parts of her parent's conversation's.

Jane and Maura abruptly ended the calls and the sound of scuffling alerted Emma that they had a lead.

Jane was the first to come out of the room, clad in black jeans and a black blouse. Her face was like thunder.

"What's going on?"

"Kristen was picked up last night" Jane ran a hand through her hair and Maura followed, clad in a simple black day dress with a matching blazer.

"And Miss Sciuto is in hospital her partner is dead" Maura finished and kissed her daughter on the cheek.

"Get to school honey"

Emma gritted her teeth.

"Is that all you want me to do? Study?" Emma blurted and Maura span on her heel to face her daughter once again.

"No" Maura spoke shrilly.

"Well it damn sure feels like it Mom" Emma's voice was small and she twitched under Maura's gaze.

"I just want you to be safe" Maura pulled the irritated teen into a hug.

"Can you just please tell me what's happening for once instead of just leaving for Kristen"

Jane rubbed the back of her neck and kissed the top of Emma's head.

"Honey, we're leaving to sort out Kristen, right now you're the only kid that's in my good books. Kristen is trying to play Detective and it's not working out for her"

"I gathered that much but what's her History teacher got to do with any if it... wait... Kristen hasn't shut up about her in months"

Maura shifted in discomfort.

Jane rose her eyebrow.

"Really?" she looked back at Maura who looked at the ground. Jane frowned. "Maura, we'll talk in the car, Emy right now..."

"Go to school" Emma added blankly and Jane shrugged then nodded.

"Yeah"

The morning was calm, but the storm Jane threatened to bring would ruin the bird song that littered the blue sky.

"Maura, you call that teacher quite a lot... did she say anything about Kris other than grades?" Jane opened the Lexus and got in.

Maura followed shyly.

"I... Jane can we just get to crime scene before discussing this" Maura rushed her words and Jane jammed the keys into the ignition.

"Sure" she poke woodenly and pulled out of the driveway.


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay I lied, this will be continuing until chapter 12. Sorry it's taken so long. All comments good or bad are welcome, I'll build a better story from feedback. **

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><p>Kristen's left leg had gone numb.<p>

Sat cross legged and staring past the bars of the holding cell, the teen felt drunk from the lack of sleep.

Her limbs were heavy, like her whole skeleton could abandon her flesh and she'd be left a bundle of skin.

Like she cared.

Kristen shifted her left leg from under her right and sat up straight. The switch of position left her with pins and needles in her left leg but a sober ache in the pit of her stomach, the ache soon swelled in her heart and flowed through her veins.

Kristen lurched forward to pull herself to her feet. Her left leg was a dead weight to her movement and she glanced up as a figure stopped at the bars. Kristen backed away as two dark brown eyes met hers.

"I don't know what you think you're going to get from it all" Jane's husk snarled at her, the sound of the bars sliding with a screaming grind assured Kristen that she was going to be dissected. Every word was an incision into her flesh.

Kristen tried to gulp away the dry grit in her throat, she dropped her eyes to the floor.

"Follow me" Jane's voice was stern, shaky but stern.

Kristen tried to place her mind somewhere else, somewhere far away, hiding under a rock wasn't cutting it, she needed to run.

Kristen let her hoodie trail across the floor, the zipper making a fresh scraping sound across the wood.

Jane's lanky form was built like brick, her posture was rigid in movement.

The Detective rolled her jaw and flexed her hands, the ache that had once been inflicted by Hoyt was being plagued by Kristen.

Jane licked her dry lips and pushed open the doors to enter the interrogation unit. Upon approach to the grey door, Kristen felt her body numb. Her heart beat increased three fold and sweat beaded across her clenched fists.

With stinging eyes she watched Jane unlock the door and push it open, the hinges creaked. Jane stood back and let Kristen enter first.

The grey brick of the walls whispered her breath and the light above them was white, casting ghostly shadows in the corners.

Her timid foot steps were harsh in volume. The rubber slapped against the concrete like a whip upon skin.

Kristen saw the black plastic chair, cold and unwelcoming, but she knew it was her only comfort.

The teen sat down first and screwed her jacket in her palms, twisting the fabric to relive stress.

Jane pulled the chair on the opposite side back with a screech but didn't sit in it, she just used it as a pinnacle of thought for a moment.

The raven haired woman then let her gaze fall sternly with dark intent on Kristen, her lips parted and the assault ran from her vocal chords in rough, battered words.

"They have your finger prints at the crime scene" Jane started bluntly. Kristen twitched and felt her heart flip.

She needed to puke.

Jane witnessed the colour drain from her features, she'd gotten somewhere, but no good came from it.

"Nowhere near or on the body, but still there. You wanna tell me what you were doing there?"

Kristen drew a shaky breath, the lump in her throat and the sting in her eyes grew.

"I was... _was_, looking" Kristen's voice cracked.

"For _what_?" Jane ran a hand through her hair, her voice now carried the tone of dread.

Kristen gulped again, adding moisture to her dried mouth.

"Richard Bridge's flight records"

Jane pulled a breath through her teeth the action elected a hiss.

"And what did you _gain _from it?"

Kristen pressed her mouth into a thin line and shifted in her seat, redistributing her weight, the action made the plastic of the chair creak.

Jane huffed and paced.

Kristen's eyes tracked her movement.

"What did you gain Kristen?" Jane snapped, her bark matching her bite in harmony. Jane felt her chest begin to heave and her blood crawled under her skin, the raised hair on her arms cast a sense of misfortune to her nerves. Her body tensed as her voice rose.

"I just... Jane, I wanted to find out" Kristen fixed her eyes to the metal table.

Jane snapped her body around and stared at the teen.

"Find out what? How to endanger your whole family?"

"It wasn't meant to happen like that" Kristen bit her tongue after the words were born.

"Oh, please DO tell me how you thought it would go!" Jane growled and jabbed her finger down at the floor, burrowing her eyes into Kristen's.

"I just didn't think..."

"No you didn't _think. _For a second did you even dare the thought of _our_ safety"

Kristen let her hoodie drop from her lap, it landed with a light swish. The teen then picked at the loose skin around her thumb nail, she felt the dry skin break away and a sting infest the digit.

"I was thinking of _our_ safety, I didn't want my Mom to get shot again"

"Oh what? So making a gang alert of you was a_ sure_ great plan"

"I wanted to track them, see when they were planning to try and get us again, I was at the air field becouse that was the last place my... Richard went, it'd hold some importance to them"

"God Damn Kristen, your Mom changed your last names so they couldn't find you again"

"That's stupid, they already knew we were out there, changing names doesn't solve anything, they know Mom is related to Richard, they KNOW it all, they were just waiting... planning to get us"

Jane slammed her hands down on the desk and Kristen stood up, the force in which she rose tipped the chair back and it clattered onto the floor. Both women glared at each other with matching intent of winning the war.

"Laurence Jarvis is the man that died in that air field the night you where in there"

Kristen narrowed her eyes.

"Died?"

"Yes, he burnt Kristen, when you and your buddy happened to burn the 'house' down" Jane seethed and flexed her hands again.

Kristen flinched but didn't back down.

"I didn't kill him"

"No, but he woulda killed you" Jane huffed. "He had ties to the gang"

Kristen found a sick reassurance in the fact on of those bastards had died.

"Well one down" Kristen spat and Jane double took her attitude.

"This isn't a game! God Damn it"

"I'm not playing!" Kristen sat back down and sank her head into her hands, then continued. Her voice calmed. "Richard didn't record the flight Jane, but yet they flew out, it's an offence not to record a flight, for tax and all that shit, right?"

Jane stopped and listened, her heart beat pulsed in her ears.

"He must have committed suicide along with Claire, he must have known the gang were going to come after us... it must have been for money"

Jane blinked and cleared her throat.

"Suicide? You have the file?"

It was plausible.

"Yeah, you didn't just think I bailed" Kristen's voice had returned to timid additions. "Jane, we didn't set the place on fire either, I'm telling you, whatever Dan smoked he stomped out I swear"

Jane lolled her head back and rubbed her eyes.

"Anything else you'd like to share?" Jane's voice was gritty.

"I'm thirsty and hungry" Kristen grumbled. Jane ran a hand through her hair.

"Bread and water seem good?" her icy tone washed over Kristen.

"Perfect" Kristen snapped back and crossed her arms tightly across her chest.

Jane rolled her eyes and wrenched the door open then slammed it shut behind her.

The Detective let a aggravated roar rip through her throat and she lashed out at the opposite wall.

Attacking the brick with four solid blows and a stern kick, she rested her head on the cold brick and groaned.

_Maura. I need Maura. _

Jane stalked down the corridor and made her way swiftly down to the morgue.

As the elevator pinged to let her know she'd reached the depths of the PD, Jane let the doors slide open and strode out.

Pushing the doors open to the morgue, Maura turned and saw Jane's hunched frame, she set the UV light she had been scanning the skin with and peeled off the latex gloves that had wrapped her hands in a powdery shield. Dropping the gloves to the metal tray like old skin, Maura shifted away from the body on her table.

Jane was relived that Maura was the only person in the morgue, usually her assistant would be taking photo's at this stage.

Instead of words Jane just fell into Maura's embrace, resting her head on the M.E's left shoulder, Jane wrapped her hands around her waist and pulled her into an urgent hug.

"Kristen is difficult" Maura stated and Jane grumbled.

"Ya think?"

"Just try and be softer with her, she looks up to you Janie, I think it hurts her when you lash out and emote negative signals"

"Does she even realise... she's making my job _so_ hard"

"Kristen thinks she's helping, can I speak to her?" Maura ran her hand through Jane's hair and played with a few strands of her raven waves.

"M, she is _your_ kid, you can speak to her without anyone's permission" Jane huffed and closed her eyes, relaxing into the M.E's touch.

Jane had always pondered on the physical way that Maura upheld herself. Her touch was delicate, her body was angelic even around the dead. Her hands always graced their cold bodies with respect, she seemed to be one of the few M.E's Jane had ever come across to actually make a connection with the people she worked on.

'Queen of the dead' had never worked so well on her.

"I was actually enquiring into if _she _was ready to accept another visit"

"She is pretty pissed off"

"So are you" Maura soothed and planted a soft kiss upon Jane's temple. Her lips lingered upon the skin and Jane hummed.

"She's been doing my job for me and got herself in danger"

"Yes" Maura let her voice trail off in thought. Jane pulled away and glanced to the body.

"Who's the guy?"

"This is Jason Fletcher" Maura introduced them as if it were a formal meeting, but in actual fact it was one of the worst ways to meet a person. With no dignity left due to him being nude, only a bright, white light covered _him, _Jane always felt sorry for the victims as well as slightly jealous. At times Maura would spend more nights with them than with her.

Jane stuffed her hands into her back pockets.

Maura pulled a new pair of gloves from the box she'd placed on the metal tray. With the snap of latex and a puff of powder Maura had dawned a new pair of white gloves and now picked her scalple up from the metal tray.

"I was scanning the skin for any unknown materials, he was clean" Maura looked bugged by this.

"Please" Jane wafted her hand. "Don't mind me, I'll just..." she peered around, Maura still hadn't put a chair anywhere. "Stand" she spoke bluntly and Maura then grabbed the body block from the side table and sighed.

"Jane... could you help me lift the body, I know it's highly unorthodox but Yoshima hasn't appeared yet"

Jane nodded and pulled on a pair of gloves. The Detective flexed her hands, her fingers twitched with apprehension of touching the body.

"Where do I hold him?"

"By the back of neck at first, hold him upward, as if he was sitting" Maura noted and Jane grimaced but nodded.

Jane slipped her hand under his neck and flinched. The skin was ice cold, but it had a rubbery feel to it.

"Make it quick" Maura gave her the heads up and Jane propped his body up, it was heavy and his head lolled back, Jane refrained from yelling out. Maura placed the body block under the back of his body and Jane lowered him onto it with ease. Jane then stepped back and let a disgusted shiver attack her, her skin crawled. She had no issues with death, but when it came to touching a cold, still body her natural instinct to recoil set in.

Maura smiled at her gratefully.

"Thank You Janie" Maura noted and pointed to the skin. "I'm guessing some warm water would sooth you"

Jane then bolted over the the red sinks and peeled off the gloves to rinse her palms under the flow of water.

Glancing over her shoulder, Jane listened to the rush of water as it hit the bottom of the sink with uneven splashes.

Maura had already started on the Y incision. The body block had caused Jason Fletcher's arms and neck to fall backward whilst stretching and pushing the chest upward to make it easier for Maura to cut open.

The skin seemed like butter under her hand, her craft was romantic.

Jane turned the tap off and a few drops of water fell into the shrinking puddle. The Detective dried her hands on some blue roll, she threw it into the bin and walked back over to Maura.

"I already examined the single bullet puncture to the chest"

The purple, garish wound contrasted with his grey skin. The edges of the wound were black with the heat the bullet must have produced.

"From where the bullet is... the killer must have just wanted him dead"

"He got his wish" Maura mumbled, pulling back the skin she'd now cut into sections.

"Maura I mean, it doesn't seem like a frenzied attack, the killer must have known what he was doing"

"Yes" Maura hummed and worked on the body. Jane felt her phone buzz, so made short work of answering the call.

"Rizzoli" Jane turned her back to Maura.

Jane ended the call abruptly.

"Sara Sciuto is stable, I'm gonna head over to the hospital with Frost" Jane then stopped. "You never told me at the crime scene Maura... what do you know?"

Maura looked up from Jason's corpse and bit on the inside of her cheek.

"Kristen may have put her in danger..." Maura began, she winced and set down the scalpel. Jane stood expectantly with her arms crossed.

"Kristen and Miss Sciuto, I saw them kissing"

"What?" Jane blurted, her face reddened.

"Maura why didn't you tell me before?"

"Because I'm telling you now Jane"

"I guess it makes more sense, I mean why else would the gang go after Sara" Jane ran a hand through her hair. "After you've done with... him, could you talk to Kris... then call me" Jane strode out, Maura felt a string of betrayal wind around her heart.

Sara would loose her job due to this and Kristen would never forgive Jane or herself for letting that happen. Maura bit on her bottom lip and glanced down at the body, well it looked like Sara was playing Kristen.

Maura puzzled at the predicament but soon drew her attention back to the corpse.

She had less than an hour to do the autopsy in if she was going to speak with Kristen.

_Does Kristen even know Sara is in hospital, now stabilised from once being critical?_

Maura looked up briefly, the thought nagged her.

* * *

><p>Jane sat in the passenger seat of Frost's red Skoda Fabia.<p>

"Lizzy came around last night" Frost tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.

Frost had been thinking of proposing to this woman.

"How did it go?"

"I didn't ask her... we just had a meal"

"So when are you gonna ask her?"

"When it feels right" Frost nodded to himself and drove on. Jane plucked her phone from it's holder and looked at the screen.

No messages.

No calls.

Jane glanced out of the window and watched the Boston traffic mount up.

Jane couldn't help but feel like it resembled her emotions, with all the information that she was given, her emotions began to mount up.

Jane breathed steadily.

"Maura said Kristen and Sara Sciuto were seeing each other"

Frost double took what she said.  
>"What? Does Kristen know that she's in hospital?"<br>"No" Jane spoke bluntly. "Maura will tell her and I'm going to make sure Sciuto never teaches again, I mean that woman has broken teacher student policy" Jane felt a twinge in the pit of her stomach.

Frost shrugged.

"You know more than me"

"No, I really don't" Jane ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

She had been burnt out from Kristen and Emma's lives for a while, the four of them had all become distant and distracted by their own lives rather than a unit.

Jane shifted.

She was going to change that, she would make sure she would.

* * *

><p>Maura hurriedly plucked the bullet from the bloody mess that was Jason Fletcher's heart. Holding it up to the light, she examined the bullet and quickly placed it in a plastic vile. She may have just found a lead.<p>

The sterilised vile rattled as Maura took it to the lab techs, the forensic unit always respected her findings.

"Ah, hello Doctor Isles" Toby greeted, a welcoming smile spread across his lips as he set down the file he'd been looking through.

"Could you test this" Maura was still clad in her medical overalls.

"Yeah sure" Toby almost skipped over to his computer set up and placed the bullet under the microscope. "It'll be about half an hour before I get a definitive conclusion Doc" Toby looked back at her. Maura nodded.

"I'll get back to my autopsy, thank you Toby" Maura smiled and walked back out, glancing down at her bloody overalls.

She'd be finished in twenty minuets, nothing was leading her to anything other than a shooting victim.

* * *

><p>Jane walked ahead Frost as they entered the hospital. Jane walked up to the front desk, upon her arrival the nurse looked up from her computer screen and Jane cleared her throat.<p>

"Detective..."

"Rizzoli" a male Doctor's voice called from behind her.

"Oh hi" Jane grinned at Dr Park. The man's hair had greyed in places and he strode up to Jane.

"How are you doing Jane?"

"I'm good thanks" Jane knew she was far from good.

Dr Parks glanced to Frost.

"And this is your partner I'm guessing"

"Detective Barry Frost" Frost held out his hand and Dr Park's took it in a warm handshake.

"We need to see Sara Sciuto" Jane cut the introductions short.

"Ah, yeah, she took a beating... I'll take you too her" Dr Park's face became solemn.

Jane nodded and the pair followed him.

* * *

><p>Maura neared the interrogation unit. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor and she stood outside the door to the room Kristen sat in.<p>

Taking in a shaky breath, Maura touched the handle with apprehension. Her finger's curled around it as if she was possessed by a fever.

The M.E knew for a fact she'd have to tell Kristen that Sara was in hospital, but what she was uncertain of was how the teen would take it.

Maura now had a good theory as to why half of her life her own Mother had been so uninvolved, it was the fear her child's fear.

Their emotions meant everything and distancing yourself could either bring you down burning or keep you safe.

Maura sighed, she knew she'd never distance herself.

The door creaked open and as Maura's right foot made an appearance, the rest of her body followed.

"Mom" Kristen yelped and jumped up from her seat to tackle the M.E in a fierce hug.

"Tell Jane I didn't do it" Kristen mumbled and Maura hugged her daughter back.

Upon feeling her Mother's warmth, Kristen broke down.

"Honey, Jane isn't blaming you"  
>"She is!" Kristen's voice broke.<p>

"Jane loves you"

"_Sure _she does" Kristen pulled away, hurt by her Mother's blatant lie. "She loves _you, _not _me_"

Maura stood stunned.

"Kristen"

"Mom, I just wanna... talk with _you_" Kristen shrank away and sat on one of the chairs.

Maura pulled another chair around so she was facing Kristen without the object of the table.

"I'm sorry I lied to you" Kristen looked into her lap and her shoulders slumped.

Maura stayed silent to let Kristen talk on.

"I just wanted you to be safe, I thought if I went after them... I sounds _so_ stupid now, I don't even know how I convinced myself to do it... it's put everyone in danger and I don't know how to take it back" Kristen let a stray tear roll down her cheek. Maura pinched Kristen's chin and wiped the tear away with her thumb. Upon lifting Kristen's gaze to meet hers, the teen sniffled.

"I'm so sorry Mom" Kristen played with the hem of her shirt.

"I'm here Krisy" Maura pulled her into a soft hug and rubbed her back. "We're sorting it out"

"Sorry" Kristen mumbled.

"Kristen" Maura started, she figured out that the news would be like a plaster, better to rip it off than pick at it slowly. "Did you go to Miss Sciuto's apartment last night?"

"Yeah..." Kristen looked away, but when she returned her gaze Maura's solemn features assured the teen that something bad had happened. Maura was temped to put her hand over Kristen's but realised the girl would be repelled by the contact.

"Sara was injured in the early hours of this morning"

Kristen's blood chilled and made her flesh numb, her lungs screamed out for air, the edges of Kristen's sight darkened.

"What?"


	11. Chapter 11

**I hope you enjoy this, there will be a next chapter then it will be the end of this fic**.

The air was cool in the ward in comparison to the heat outside. Jane and Frost stepped into the room, blessing the air con. Dr Park stood aside and watched them with intent eyes.

The lino flooring cushioned their harsh steps as they approached Sara's bed. The sounds of beeps being produced from the machine motoring her BPM rattled the silence. Sara's breathing was shallow.

Jane stood over her and scanned her wrecked body. A large yellow bruise graced her left cheek and a red and purple blotch was prominent on the skin of her neck.

Jane rubbed the back of her neck and Frost sucked in a breath through his teeth.

"Her attacker left her in a state, I'm surprised she survived" Dr Park's voice cut through the bleeping.

"She was strangled, shot in the foot shoulder and chest"

"Chest" Jane whispered the word as she saw the women's chest rise and fall timidly. This woman looked broken. Her hair was plastered back from her face, her skin was almost grey in complexion and she twitched slightly, like her limbs were fighting the inner poison of death.

"You think she'll be up for questioning?" Frost added and Jane's shoulders slumped.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't expect a straight answer" Dr Park hung his head and Jane nodded once in understanding.

"Hey baby, can you hear me?" Jane's eyes were soft as she knelt at her bed side.

Sara gulped away the dryness in her throat and opened her eyes, the light stung as she looked around.

"That's a start" Frost murmured, Sara recoiled from the voice.

"Where am I?" she whispered, her voice croaky.

"The hospital" Jane's voice was soft to her ears.

"Is Kristen okay?"

"Kristen?" Jane's voice soon deepened.

"You are Jane right?"

Jane was taken back and nodded with her tiny words.

"Good" Sara closed her eyes again and took a shaky breath. Jane examined the woman's face. "I apologise for having romantic interests involving your daughter"

Jane almost fell backwards. Frost stood his ground and stared at Jane with a confused expression.

"I...erm, yeah" Jane fathomed the words from thin air.

_How the hell am I supposed to respond?_

Dr Park shifted and coughed.

"Sara, do you remember anything from last night?" Frost cut in and saved Jane from her floundering.

"There was a guy" Sara gulped thickly in aid to keep talking. "He had a gun, he started asking me about Kristen, I refused to say anything...he...he had this beard"

Jane nudged Frost to start noting it down.

"A Russian accent" Sara noted and groaned.

Dr Park noticed the BPM monitor bleep decrease then increase.

"I think that's all... she's suffering" Dr Park guarded her bedside and Jane stood back.

"I get it" Jane sighed and looked over the Doctor's shoulder. "Thank You Sara"

With that the pair left. Jane shuddered as she exited the ward and her hands twinged.

"Hospitals always creep me out" she noted and Frost stuffed the note pad in his pocket.

"We've not got a lot, but I can see if we can work with it" Frost and Jane were about to turn a corner when Dr Park's voice sounded, halting the pair.

"Detectives, we took the liberty of taking photos of the injuries, we think there's a boot mark on her back" Dr Park handed Frost a brown file.

"Thank You" Frost gave him a brief smile.

"Jane, we'll keep in touch if anything happens to her" Dr Park assured.

"That'd be great"

Opening the Skoda, Frost and Jane piled in.

"So what happened to 'I'm gonna make sure she never teaches again'" Frost started the car and glanced at Jane.

The Detective was busy tapping in a text to pay that much attention to him.

"Huh" Jane looked up and Frost repeated himself, earning a glare. "I don't think she's gonna make it"

"If she does?"

"I won't do anything" Jane held her hands up in defence and they pulled out of the lot.

Half way back to the PD, Jane's phone began to buzz.

Frost was too busy trying to find the right radio station to listen to, to care about Jane's unknown caller as the number flashed up on the screen.

Jane answered the call.

"_Jane Rizzoli_"

"Yeah"

"_It's Toby_"

"Oh, hi, why the use of my full name Toby?"

"_I just thought it'd be... I can tell the face you're pulling, sorry, I got a match to the bullet Maura found on the victim" _

"She found a bullet?"

"_Yeah, well I got a match to the owner... Kristoff Lugger" _

"Sara said the guy had a Russian accent, got an address tech boy?"

"_Korsak pulled him into interrogation ten minuets ago_"

"Great, listen, tell Korsak to wait until we get back, okay?"

"_You got it_"

"Is Maura with Kristen"

"_Yeah, I think so, she's not in the morgue_"

"Thanks Toby"

"_No worries_"

Jane ended the call and turned to Frost.

"We got our guy for the shooting, I told Korsak to wait for us"

"Seems good to me, if we can ever get outta this God Damn traffic" Frost growled and punched the wheel.

* * *

><p>Kristen sat on Maura's lap and cried into her shoulder.<p>

Her sobs echoed around the room and Maura hugged her body close.

"Do you want to go and see her?" Maura soothed and Kristen shrugged.

"Last night she was with another guy..." Kristen lifted her head. "Is he okay?" the teen's voice wasn't conveyed with concern, it was full of bitter resentment.

"No, he's dead" Maura rubbed Kristen's back and the teen nodded.

"Would it be awful if I said good?"

"Was he Sara's partner?"

"From what I saw yeah, he said '_hey babe_' I mean from there I just bailed" Kristen felt a lump grow in her throat.

"So they were lovers" Maura spoke to herself to find her own conclusion.

"I know it goes against society Mom, but I really do want to be with her" Kristen moved off her lap and sat on the table, her eyes were red and puffy.

Maura rubbed her face and sighed. She never really knew what to do when it came to relationships with other people, but she could find it easier due to the fact the person in need was her daughter.

"I had no idea you were homosexual Kristen" Maura started.

"Mom don't make it awkward, I'm not _gay _I've liked boys, it's just … nobody is really like Sara, I feel so out of place around her, I feel in place... you know?"

Maura smiled, of course she did. Jane had always made her feel that way.

"I remember when Jane had this thing for a man called Gabriel Dean, it really irritated me, for weeks I didn't want to see her or them both with out wanting to make sure he ended up on my table"

"Mom, you wished _death_ upon someone" Kristen chuckled weakly.

Maura shifted and tiled her head to the side.

"I suppose so, but Jane stopped seeing him, they must have had a fight becouse she came to me first and hugged me so hard, I knew she'd been wanting me all the while"

"That's so _romantic_, it makes me want to vomit"

"Me too at times"  
>"<em>Jane<em> makes you want to _vomit_" Kristen laughed and Maura chuckled.

"Sometimes. No I think the thought of her being with another person makes me want to perform an autopsy on myself, even though that wouldn't be possible..."

"I remember when I was little" Kristen had her legs crossed and she smiled into her lap. "When it was my birthday, after you got shot and Jane was sat beside me, she said when she got shot all she wanted to do was be with you, she wanted you to make the pain go away" Kristen drew a shaky breath to part her words. "I really want that to be the case with me and Sara, I know how needy that sounds, but I think I need her to make me feel better, even though she hurt me"

Maura stood up and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"I won't stop you from whoever you want to be with, I think it would be hypocritical if I did"

"Mom" Kristen bit on her lower lip. "I'd like to see her"

"If you feel ready to then yes, I will take you to see her, although I will check with the hospital first" Maura pulled her phone from her lab coat pocket and flicked through her contact list, she put in the hospital's number in case of a body or other emergencies.

"I will have to go out of the room to do this" Maura walked over to the door and was about to exit when Kristen's voice drifted to her ears.

"Thanks for understanding Mom"

Maura smiled at her and exited the room.

As the door clicked shut, Jane and Frost strode in.

"Maura" Jane let Frost go ahead without her.

"Jane" Maura looked down at the number on her screen then up at her partner. "Kristen wants to visit Sara"

Jane frowned, but decided it would be like fighting an army with a banana, besides she had the guy they needed in custody, Kristen was free to go.

Jane shook the image of her stood in a field wielding a banana at a horde of soldiers from her mind and touched Maura's arm.

"Sure, she can go"

Maura was taken off guard.

"You're not going to object?" Maura smiled.

"I'm not the enemy" Jane kissed her on the cheek and walked into the room next to them. Maura touched her cheek, she felt the patch where Jane had kissed her tingle for the first time in years.

That's when Maura knew, they'd been filling their lack of emotional connection through the physical need, both of the counterparts to their relationship had been dumbing each other out.

Maura smiled to herself, after the case it would be a fresh start, for all of them.

Maura called up the hospital and after receiving information that clarified they could visit, she opened the door and nodded at Kristen.

The teen slid from the table and followed Maura out of the interrogation unit and out into the precinct and from there out onto the car park.

* * *

><p>Jane sat across from Kristoff Lugger. The man was clad in a white vest, blue open denim shirt and he had a full, black beard. His eyes were a piercing grey.<p>

"Mr Lugger" Jane started and he grunted. Her eyes met his in a dark shadow. "We've obtained evidence from a recent shooting to confirm your gun was used to kill and seriously injure two innocent people"

"Jason Fletcher and Sara Sciuto" Frost cut in.

"Yes" his accent was thick. "It is my gun" he looked down at the picture of the same type of gun.

"Where were you last night?" Frost was now pacing. Korsak was watching the scene unfold behind the long mirror.

Lugger didn't respond he just kept his mouth pressed into a tight line.

"Where were you in the early hours of this morning Mr Lugger" Jane snapped, he rolled his neck.

"Nowhere"

"Real great place, I got to nowhere _all_ the time" Jane grumbled.

"Unless you can explain why your gun was found at the scene, we're arresting you" Frost growled. Jane noticed nail marks on his neck.

"Where did you get those marks Mr Lugger" Jane pointed them out and the Russian shrugged.

"Frost, get a tech up here to take DNA from the wounds"

"Got it" Frost dialled the lab and within seconds it was arranged.

"If we find the DNA of Sara Sciuto, you're gonna be looking at one hell of a long time in jail" Frost stood behind Lugger.

Jane got up to open the door for the tech. Toby shot in, red in the face and carrying a black medical bag.

"You called"

Frost smirked at the tech and Jane smiled at him.

"We need you to swab this guys neck, he says he has no idea where he got them from"

Lugger glared at Toby but let him carry out his test. Dabbing a cotton bud over the wounds, Toby hummed as he did so.

"The results will be back in an hour, that's the fastest I can do them right now"  
>"Great Toby, call me when you get the results in"<p>

"Will do Detective Rizzoli" his voice brightened.

Toby made a swift exit.

Frost cracked his knuckles and nodded at Jane.  
>"So you wanna try again?" Jane sat back down and faced Lugger with a face of thunder. "Where were you in the early hours of this morning?"<p>

* * *

><p>Upon hearing the constant mono sounds of bleeps and whirring being produced by the machinery, Kristen felt nausea attack her.<p>

The teen winced as she looked over Sara's frail, pale body. Maura was stood in the doorway and watched Kristen sit by Sara's side.

Sara stirred and their eyes met. Kristen avoided the glance and stared at the floor. Sara gulped, saliva laced the dry walls of her throat.

"Hello" she greeted in a whisper and Kristen winced, her insides shrivelled.

"I'm sorry this happened" Kristen now found her palms interesting to look at while they spoke.

Kristen wanted to switch bodies, she wanted to be the one injured, pay for her sin of curiosity. Damn it to hell.

"It's just a few bullets"

"Just a few... they could of, God Damn, Sara I should have never gone to you last night, they must have been watching the house...I got you involved"

"I got myself involved" Sara wheezed and a timid smile broke on her chapped lips.

"But..." Kristen let tears fall freely, salting her skin with her sorrow.

"Kris, don't" Sara winced as a pain invaded her chest. Kristen had forgotten how to speak through the numbness, her heart ache made sure of it.

"I have something for you" Sara pointed to the side cabinet. Kristen glanced at it. "Look inside the paper bag"

Kristen took it and peered inside. The wooden box sat shrouded from the world.

"I want you to have it Kristen"

"It's yours, I can't have it, I don't deserve it" Kristen went to set it back but Sara gave a disproving grunt.

"Don't you dare Kristen Isles, I want _you_ to have it, to keep you safe, it kept me safe, that thing kept the fourth bullet from killing me"

Kristen reached into the box and pulled out the now dented fob watch, there was a black seer across the metal.

"I'm sorry I walked out"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Jason, he was my ex, he was staying over..."

"What?" Kristen shrunk.

"I understand Kris, I would have done the same if you had a man around"

Maura felt a small smile creep upon her lips as she witnessed the scene. At that moment her phone began to buzz, the sound alerted the two women of her presence.

"Mom" Kristen sighed and Maura held up her hand and left the door way to answer the call.

"Isles"

"_Maura, Emma has been taken_"

"What?"

"_I finished up with Lugger and I got this call... from an unknown number, they've taken Emma hostage, they want the money_" Jane's voice was rough.

Maura clamped her hand over her mouth.

"_She's at the school, we're going in and I'm gonna get this son of a bitch_"

"Jane I'm coming with you"

"_No Maura, it's too dangerous" _

"And why do you think that has stopped me before, I have the scar to prove it, damn Jane, I will meet you outside the school"

Maura hung up and walked into the ward.

Kristen was holding Sara's hand in a soft caress.

"Krisy, I have something to attend to, I want you to stay here"

"I'm not going anywhere... Mom are you okay?" Kristen took in her Mother's pale complexion.

"It'll be okay soon" with that Maura left.

Kristen looked back at Sara and rubbed her thumb across the back of her hand, feeling her heated flesh, Kristen knew she had to stay with her.

* * *

><p>Maura arrived at the back of the school. All of the patrol cars hid a block away so the gang wouldn't catch on that they'd arrived. In the midst of red and blue chaos, Maura got out of the Lexus and ran over to Jane.<p>

Clad in a bullet proof vest and a black long sleeved tee Jane unclipped her gun from it's holster.

"Jane" Maura called out and tugged on her arm. Jane turned sharply.

"Maura you aren't coming in"

Shouting filled the air and the officers were stood in a bath heat. Maura clenched her teeth.

"I know that" Maura snapped and Jane relaxed a little. "Just bring her out safe"

"You know I will" Jane pressed their foreheads together, Maura rested her hand on the side of Jane's flushed face.  
>"I love you" Maura whispered and Jane kissed her softly. Maura was surprised at the public display of affection, they were surrounded by seven patrol cars and around twenty officers. They pulled away as Frost barked her name.<p>

"I love you too Maura" Jane sniffed and jogged over to Frost, feeling her gun weigh her thoughts.

Frost had a map pinned on the hood of a patrol car, he was snapping at Korsak for the best line of entry. Frost also had a bullet proof vest on and Korsak stood with sweat beading his forehead.

"They want money" Jane snapped above their bickering. "We'll plant a false bag of money for a distraction, I'll go and find Emma" Jane had summarised the plan in seconds. Frost shrugged.

"Seems good, but what if they guess it's a bluff?"

"Keep them talking, I'll have Emma by then" Jane brushed her hair from her face and five other officers passed by brandishing guns.

"We've got a full school of kids in there, all hostages" one of them barked.

"Then we better be damn careful" Frost rolled his shoulders and nodded at Jane.

"We've got snipers on the three roofs of the surrounding buildings" another officer mentioned, pointing at the map of the area.

Jane and Frost followed his gaze.

"We'll give you two radios, so if anything gets nasty we'll know" the same officer added and handed them white coils of wires and a bud to tuck in their ears.

"It's boiling" Jane fastened the bud into her ear and covered it with her hair then tuck the wire under her clothes.

"We're gonna go in through the back" Frost announced. "Be ready for anything"

Jane then followed Frost in a steady walk around the block and to the school.

Maura watched as Jane disappeared from view, along with Frost.

Two officers stood by her and wafted themselves with their hats, the suns cruel glare still sent a chill down the M.E's spine.

Her daughter's life was in the hands of Jane as much as it reassured her, it frightened her. Maura had two of the most important people in her world in danger and she was rendered useless by her non combat profession. This was one of those times in the M.E's life she actually envied Jane's job.

* * *

><p>Jane's heart pulsed in her skull as she and Frost trod carefully towards the back of the school, they approached the playing courts.<p>

The red sandy tarmac boiled on the other side of the metal fencing.

Jane climbed up the fencing with ease, curling her fingers around the mesh and pulled herself over the top. She landed in a crouching position.

Frost followed and landed on his feet with a harsh thud.

"Korsak's just told me we've sent in another two officers at the front" Frost dabbed his forehead of sweat.

They stalked across the playing fields, their foot steps crunching across loose stones and Frost's foot hit a stray water bottle.

Jane and Frost soon pressed their backs to the grey walls of the school and walked along the wall until they got to the mesh door.

Jane gestured for Frost to open the door. He clicked the lock and the door swung open, the cool air of the school drafted out to them.

Jane stepped in first and drew her gun, pointing it with eagle eyes to every shadowed corner of the corridor.

Frost unclipped his gun the sound filled the silence.

Jane's once heated skin was now chilled. All she could think about was where they were hiding Emma, how would they work and what they would do if they were found out.

_Gangs are like rats_

_They hide, they sneak and breed like hell._

_You can never truly get rid of an infestation. _

Jane drew a shaky breath as they came two directions, left and right.

Frost nodded his head to the left and Jane had no option but to take the right.

Jane pressed her right to the cold glass of the door and pushed it open with a creak.

Jane's skin crawled with anticipation for a fight, her cells and her flesh bubbled with the urge to search and destroy.

Jane walked through the empty corridor, her eyes trained on every object. The Detective flintched when she saw something pass her sight. She pointed her gun the window, but lowered her aim as it was a bird passing the rays of sun spilling in through the window.

The air was musty but carried ice.

Jane had her gun held at her hip as she walked.

She tried to pick out a foreign noise, a give away the students that had somewhat vanished.

Jane turned the corner sharply, her gun draw again to empty air.

Splash.

Jane glanced down to what her foot had stepped into. She felt her heart leap into her throat.

Blood lay in a puddle, Jane followed the liquid as it trailed in drag marks to a supply closet.

Jane jogged over to it and pointed her gun at an estimate of head level, then wrenched the door open.

"No!" a scream filled her ears and left a buzz, her sight warmed to the darkness and she saw a girl, around fifteen cradling a boy, blood had soaked his clothes.

"Shhh" Jane hushed the panicking girl as tears fell down her cheeks.

Jane knelt to their level and clipped her gun back into it's holster.

Jane then leant into the radio on her right shoulder.

"We've got a casualty, male, looks around sixteen, a girl is with him, possibly more injured" her voice cracked and she pressed her finger lightly upon the injured boys neck. The girl was reluctant to let Jane touch him, but upon hearing her notation of the situation, the girl fathomed she must be a police officer.

"_Rizzoli_" the radio fuzzed as Jane searched for a pulse.

"Yeah"

"_The count is a seven already, we've got seven dead kids and five injured_"

Jane closed her eyes.

"God Damn, make it eight" Jane pulled her finger back, the boy was dead.

"How long have you been in here?" Jane whispered and the girls broke her sobs to answer.

"Around an hour, I dunno, he's dead?" the girl looked down at the boy and Jane nodded.

"Half of his blood is all over the corridor, did you drag him in here"

"Yeah" the girl was now shaking.

Jane hissed.

"I need you to stay in here, back up will be coming okay"

"Yeah"

"Don't make a sound and stay hidden" Jane touched her side of her cheek to reassure her and stood up. "I'm here to stop this" Jane then closed the door again.

The Detective ran through the corridor, holding her gun out in front of her.

Her tracks were stopped as a bullet bounced off one of the lockers.

"Shit" Jane hissed and slammed her body harshly into the wall.

Jane's chest heaved as her eyes hurriedly scanned the corridor. Her heart split her skull into fragments of caught breath and a buzzing ears. A man clad in a black ski mask strode up to her, gun drawn. He shot again, the bullet just missed her right arm and cracked the plaster on the wall. Jane pulled the trigger on her gun and the bullet popped.

The attacker fell to the ground as the bullet shattered his left collar bone. Jane held her gun down at him and kicked the gun out of his grasp, the weapon skidded across the floor and hit the next wall.

"Where is Emma Isles?" Jane barked and pointed her gun at his head.

The attacker writhed and screamed in pain, Jane brought her foot down to crush his hand.

Jane felt a sickening satisfaction upon hearing the guy scream out even more. She knew through his she would draw the rest of the gang out.

"Emma Isles" Jane barked at him and he arched his back as Jane felt the bones of his fingers snap under the pressure of her boot.

He yelped out the word 'upstairs' before regressing back into pained sobs.

Jane jogged off down the corridor, she had an idea where the stairs were.

Upon reaching a flight of stairs, Jane glanced around. Her eyes fell upon three bodies sprawled across the steps, blood drenched their clothes in sour victory, their bodies had dressed them for death.

Jane felt the scene rob her of oxygen, her bones melted into her cold blood.

"Three more death, two boys, one girl" Jane passed their bodies, crossing herself as she did so. She climbed the stairs with roughed breath and heavy footsteps.

Maura heard Jane's voice over Korsak's radio.

"Vince" Maura grabbed his arm and the large man had a face of stone. "Was that Jane... just then?"

"Yeah, more kids are dead"

Maura felt her heart shrivel, if they were killing students easily, what would stop them from Emma if they didn't get what they wanted.

Maura slid her jacket off and dropped it onto the hood of the patrol car.

"Are you planting a bag of money?"

"Eh, yeah Doc, we're sending it up once Jane or Frost finds Emma" Korsak scratched at his beard and Maura tied her hair back in a loose scrunchy.

"The will have hidden Emma somewhere were nobody will guess" Maura grabbed the pen of Korsak and took to the map.

"Not on the roof, it's too easy for us to get at them"

"So you're sayin' they would have hidden her.. in one of the classrooms?"

"Possibly or in the basement" Maura circled the area on the map. "Check if Frost or Jane are around there"

"Rizzoli" Korsak called down the radio.

Jane pressed her back to the wall as Korsak's voice buzzed through the radio.

"Yeah"

"_You near the basement?_"

"No I'm headed upstairs, I just gunned down one of the members... he said they were upstairs"

"_Do not go upstairs Jane_" Maura's voice was sharp.

Jane smiled softly at her voice.

"Where should I head then?"

"_The basement or the lower floors, somewhere were we're unlikely to get at them_" Korsak cut in.

"So they were expecting us?"

"_What would you do if you'd taken someone who's been raised by women like you?_"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jane and Maura snapped at Korsak, Jane chuckled.

Maura grinned as she heard Jane's husky laugh.

"_Get to the lower... Jane?_" Korsak almost leapt back from the noise.

A gun shot sounded down the line, Jane's radio went back to static.

Jane slunk to the floor.

Her sight went black around the edges with shock.

"The fuck?" Jane glanced down at her left arm, a bullet had grazed the bicep, blood glistened and soaked through the black cotton.

Jane got back up and drew her gun with a click.

She hissed as the skin stung with the action.

Jane took the advice and jogged downstairs, it'd been a trap.

Upon her escape, Jane's right foot slipped on the blood on the steps and consequently tumbled down the rest of the flight.

"Aw shit" Jane lay at the bottom of the stairs, her fall had caused one of the corpses to tumble down with her. The body landed next to her in a frail of bloody limbs. The hollow thud sounded by her ear and cold blood gushed out of the wound in the corpses throat, the blood sprayed across the left side of Jane's face. Jane was still clutching her gun, her knuckles white from the strength of her hold.

Jane gasped and crawled away, another shot sounded and hit the railing of the stairs, creating a spark and the bullet clattered onto one of the steps.

Jane found refuge by turning the corner.

With her chest heaving and her face now dripping with a victims blood, Jane let out a stressed cry. The wound on her arm pulse angrily and cried blood.

"_Jane, you still there?_"

Jane gulped thickly and clicked the button on her radio to respond.

"Yeah, I'm wounded though, got one hell of a bullet graze"

"_Jane, try and compress the wound_"

"Yeah, I'll just go and ask them for a bandage" she snapped and Maura's voice cut off.

"_Jane, do you think you can still make it to the basement?_"

"Yeah" Jane cut off the radio and struggled to her feet.

Jane spotted a grey fire exit door by the end of a row of lockers, it had a green stairs sign glowing.

The Detective pressed her back to the lockers and ran to the door, pushing down on the bar the door she ran into oblivion.

With the crack of broken skin, Emma's head was forced right, away from the gun that had whipped her across the cheek bone.

"We want her alive Antony" a rough, gritty voice called from the corner of the room. Emma felt the slat of her tears grace the fresh wound with salt, the sting made her face ache.

"Who did you call?" the owner of the gun snapped, his voice was deeper than the first, but lacked danger.

Emma shook her head and looked away from him, she knew making eye contact would provoke him.

"I didn't call anyone"

"Marco just said he saw that cop again" another member ran past their block of boxes and the man looming over Emma tugged at her hair. She whimpered.

"Who did you..."

"Julian, this girls parents are cops" the man with the gritty voice turned to them and he shoved Julian away from Emma.

"That's how they knew, now just lay off her, we need the money and we need her alive"

Julian grunted and kicked the wall.

Emma felt her scalp ache and she closed her eyes.

She could cause a distraction. How?

Emma reopened her eyes and searched the dim light.

How?

Jane pulled her torch from her belt and scanned the area. The distant mutter of voices confirmed they were here.

"Korsak" Jane whispered down her radio, her voice echoed off the cement walls.

"_Jane?_"

"_I've found them_"

Jane stopped the message and jogged through the dark. The mouldy air circulated in her lungs and burnt her chest as she neared their hideout. Jane clicked off her torch as she saw the dim light the hideout was producing.

Jane breathed in and out in a steady rhythm.

"_Jane, we're sending..." _

Jane ripped the radio off her shoulder and stamped on it, the contact broke under her boot.

The static would have compromised her position, she was too close now.

Jane drew her gun and neared the entrance to their hideout.

The sound of the door opening made Jane spin around and a mob of flash lights lit the dark like stars.

Jane smiled to herself and saw Frost among five other officers.

Frost gave her the signal that they were ready.

Jane nodded to herself and took in a heavy breath, sucking it through her teeth, Jane burst into the hideout.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you to everyone who has read this.. all three of these stories have been really nice to write**_._ **Thank you to the readers who reveiwed and anyone who has been reading this happily. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

><p><em>April 2nd<em>

_The gang had been stopped by Jane and Frost, along with fifteen other officers who had caught most of them in other places besides the school._

_Richard and Claire had in fact committed suicide to keep Kristen and Emma safe._

_Kristoff Lugger had been arrested for murder._

_The first victim had been an informant of the gang and had indeed set the air field on fire, not before ingesting cyanide, however the chemical had been old and just made him throw up, he did I fact die from smoke inhalation. His death had lured Kristen out into the open as he had spotted her and couldn't find another way to alert the gang._

_All charges concerning Kristen and Dan were dropped._

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><p>Long, green blades of grass were whispered upon by the breeze. The onslaught of rain had drenched the lawns and watered the land with intentions to sustain life, even in the dismal place.<p>

Two pairs of footsteps sunk into the damp earth and the patter of fine rain sounded off their coats.

The pair stopped at the foot of a new, 7 month old grave stone. The white marble listened with the rain.

_Sara Sciuto _

_December 27th 1989- April 2nd 2011_

The black letters sunk into the stone and water droplets curved along the lines the letters made.

"Do you think she'd be proud?" a voice cut through the sound of brushing branches.

"Yeah" a hand slipped around the shoulder of the shorter girl.

_April 2nd _

Jane pulled Kristen closer and planted a kiss into her soaked hair.

Kristen looked down at the name on the grave, a lump welled in her throat and she clung to Jane tighter.

"When she died" Kristen started and pulled away from Jane's hug, lacking the comfort immediately but not regretting it. "Well, before she died... she still had hold of my hand. She turned to me, she looked so scared, she knew what was happening so she held on tighter" Kristen felt tears prick her eyes, she tilted her head back to will them to melt back into her eyes. Jane stood, watching the girl smile through threatening tears.

"She gripped my hand so tightly I thought her was going to break my hand, so I climbed in bed with her, she nuzzled her neck into mine..." Kristen felt the sadness punch her gut. "and she, she whispered...

"_You made it better" _

_The machines went hysteric, Kristen felt her heart wrench and Sara lay limp beside her. _

_Their hands were still intertwined and Kristen felt those words linger on the skin of her neck. Doctors and nurses ran into the room. Kristen felt two hands land heavily onto her shoulders and ease her from the bed. Sara's limp hand tugged at Kristen's as she left her side. _

Of course she struggled, of course she screamed at them for dragging her away, but in hindsight, it was only way Kristen got over it.

Jane held the teen close once again.

Maura's voice cut through the rain. Jane looked up from their embrace and smiled at Maura. The M.E was clad in a bright red coat, the wind flapped back the collar and Jane smirked at Maura's displeased frown at natures decision to make her look like a peacock.

Jane's eyes had gone puffy and her throat was dry.

Maura rubbed Kristen's back.

"Krisy, it's time to go" Maura eased her from the hug and Kristen nodded at the ground. Emma was stood on the hill hand in hand with her boyfriend Grey.

He was a foot taller than her and had a smart grey and black suit on, in his left hand he held an umbrella to fend off the rain.

"Ready?" Emma asked smiling at her parents, Kristen then at Grey, who in turn was smiling down at her.

"We'll miss it, hurry" Maura ushered them all into the Lexus, Emma was crammed in the middle seat in between Grey and Kristen.

"I can't believe you're actually rushing us home for it" Jane dead panned and Maura slapped her arm and started up the car once five clicks of seat belts had confirmed they were all in.

"Well sorry if I want to see my Grandchildren being born" Maura snapped. Jane sucked in a breath.  
>"Maura Grandchildren <em>really<em>?"

"Yes" Maura huffed and pulled out of the parking lot.

Kristen smirked at her Mother's comment and struggled not to laugh when Grey rose an eyebrow.

"What is your Mom on about?"

While he spoke Emma ruffled his hair lovingly and modelled it into a quiff.

"You suit it, oh and ignore her when she's like this"

Maura coughed in acknowledgement of Emma's comment.

Jane laughed to back Emma up.

Maura pulled up in the driveway and burst out of the car, the M.E almost kicked the door in. Jane was still sat in the car watching the event with a goofy grin on her face.

"I knew she would come around about the birthday present" Jane unclipped her seatbelt and got out of the car.

Kristen, Emma and Grey followed.

Jane was halted in her tracks as Maura lay across the living room floor, arse in the air and her eyes trained on the sand box.

"Really?"

"Shhh" Maura wagged her finger and Jane frowned.

"You did not just..."  
>"Shhh!"<p>

"Maura"

"Shhhh!" Maura glared at her and Jane slunk into the sofa beside her demented girlfriend.

Kristen ran over and sat cross legged next to Maura.

"Any minuet now" Maura whispered.

Jane rolled her eyes, as much as she wanted Maura to have the gift of a tortoise egg for her birthday, it'd been the only thing Maura had concentrated on while they were at home.

"It's been around 60 days" Kristen noted and Maura nodded.

Emma held Grey's hand as they stood and watched.

Bass looked down at the nest under the sand.

Jane could hardly believe that perv turtle was going to be a father.

They all held their breath as a crack sounded from under the sand, a minuets later a tiny head popped up over the surface. Maura let out a loud, excited giggle and Kristen awwed at the baby tortoise clambering from it's nest.

Emma leapt up and hugged Grey tightly and Jane took one look at the ting and regretted buying it. It was perv turtle mark two, just the way it moved gave her the feeling this little feela was going to cause hell.

Jo trotted over and sat by Bass, Bass walked closer to Jo and the pair watched the baby move around, it still had embryonic goo on it's light brown and dark green shell.

"Nasty" Jane scrunched her nose up, but had to admit, the thing was a little bit cute.

"See that Bass, you're a Daddy" Maura cooed and Kristen winced at her Mother.

"Don't coo at it Mom"

"What should we call it?" Emma was still hugging Grey happily when she spoke.

Maura sat up straight and pondered on the fact.

"Sciuto" Kristen's voice was small and Jane smiled at her, the name did suit the little guy.

"Yeah, I like that" Jane added and Maura glanced between them.

"I think that would be cute" Maura rested her hand on Kristen's knee.

"Hi Sciuto" Kristen greeted to the baby.


End file.
